We are theme park people, it's what we like to do. We are one of the crazy parents that take their baby ( she was 5 months old) to Disneyland, and takes them on every single ride possible.
We recently went to the Happiest Place on Earth this summer when the little one was old enough to actually enjoy/remember the rides. My mom made the mistake of telling little one that she was going to go see the princess' and alas little one decided that we must go too!!!!
There are very few "perks" to being in a wheelchair, no lines at theme parks is one, and we take full advantage of this perk, however it never fails that sometime during the day o' fun Matt will be asked to leave his chair at the entrance and get onto the ride. This last trip to Disney has got to be one of my all time favorites.
After waiting in line for Indiana Jones ( apparently you don't even need to have the disabled person with you any more) behind a bunch of cheaters who are slowly ruining this lovely perk, we approach the jeep, and the following occurs:
While helping Matt get close enough to transfer to the Jeep the ride operator says the line we've been waiting for all day
Ride operator " You're going to have to leave his chair over there, and get on the ride"
Matt " But I can't walk"
Ride operator " Then how are you going to get on the ride?"
Matt " I can transfer over if I get close enough"
Ride operator " Well you're going to have to transfer to the ride if you can't walk"
Matt " Isn't that what I just said? If you move I can get close enough, then my wife will move the chair out of the way"
Ride operator " Ok , because you can't leave your chair in the way of the people trying to get on next"
Matt and me " Wasn't planning on it"
Finally, Matt gets on the ride and I move the chair to the chair parking, out of the way of the other riders.
Upon conclusion of our ride, I jump out the wrong side( it's the right side if you want to get back into your wheelchair) and have another award winning conversation with the ride operator
Ride operator " Miss, you have to get off the other side"
Me" I'm getting my husbands wheelchair"
Rider operator" Can't he get it?
Me " um no, he can't walk, that's why he has a wheelchair"
Ride operator" oh, ok make sure you take the right one"
I was so floored with the lack of common sense that I has no answer for that last comment.
Now a magical thing happens at Disneyland. During the day we will see scooters, and wheelchairs everywhere, sometimes they even outnumber the strollers. But alas when the time comes that they are shoving us out the gates ( because we stay until they tell us to leave... now!) the scooters and wheelchairs are few and far between. We have decided that there must be a magic gate that cures you when you go through it. We have tried many of the gates but have not found it yet, perhaps it rotates every hour. So the next time you are at Disneyland, if you discover how the magic gate works, please do share, we've been looking for it for years
We recently went to the Happiest Place on Earth this summer when the little one was old enough to actually enjoy/remember the rides. My mom made the mistake of telling little one that she was going to go see the princess' and alas little one decided that we must go too!!!!
There are very few "perks" to being in a wheelchair, no lines at theme parks is one, and we take full advantage of this perk, however it never fails that sometime during the day o' fun Matt will be asked to leave his chair at the entrance and get onto the ride. This last trip to Disney has got to be one of my all time favorites.
After waiting in line for Indiana Jones ( apparently you don't even need to have the disabled person with you any more) behind a bunch of cheaters who are slowly ruining this lovely perk, we approach the jeep, and the following occurs:
While helping Matt get close enough to transfer to the Jeep the ride operator says the line we've been waiting for all day
Ride operator " You're going to have to leave his chair over there, and get on the ride"
Matt " But I can't walk"
Ride operator " Then how are you going to get on the ride?"
Matt " I can transfer over if I get close enough"
Ride operator " Well you're going to have to transfer to the ride if you can't walk"
Matt " Isn't that what I just said? If you move I can get close enough, then my wife will move the chair out of the way"
Ride operator " Ok , because you can't leave your chair in the way of the people trying to get on next"
Matt and me " Wasn't planning on it"
Finally, Matt gets on the ride and I move the chair to the chair parking, out of the way of the other riders.
Upon conclusion of our ride, I jump out the wrong side( it's the right side if you want to get back into your wheelchair) and have another award winning conversation with the ride operator
Ride operator " Miss, you have to get off the other side"
Me" I'm getting my husbands wheelchair"
Rider operator" Can't he get it?
Me " um no, he can't walk, that's why he has a wheelchair"
Ride operator" oh, ok make sure you take the right one"
I was so floored with the lack of common sense that I has no answer for that last comment.
Now a magical thing happens at Disneyland. During the day we will see scooters, and wheelchairs everywhere, sometimes they even outnumber the strollers. But alas when the time comes that they are shoving us out the gates ( because we stay until they tell us to leave... now!) the scooters and wheelchairs are few and far between. We have decided that there must be a magic gate that cures you when you go through it. We have tried many of the gates but have not found it yet, perhaps it rotates every hour. So the next time you are at Disneyland, if you discover how the magic gate works, please do share, we've been looking for it for years
