this was the first time I've been to WDW since they stopped supporting disabled with anything other than ''we have wheelchairs' or whatever it is they call them. I won't go into detail but my son 18 & daughter 17 did not react positively to the cast member telling me to get a wheelchair.
Getting on with it: So in the past we used to go and spend 10 days min at WDW with daily parks but due to concerns over changes I read about here I went with 2 days front end, a cruise in the middle and hoping for 2 days at back end with a day by day sort of vibe so I didn't push it. We also went this past week, off season, to limit the demands on me plus discomfort of heat.
Overall I'd say the strategy was a success. Thumbs up for cooler weather during a time of year with low chance of rain increasing aches. I would say that a whirlwind extravaganza is no longer possible due to their new policies for non wheelchair bound physically handicapped persons but in small doses it's still doable although hoppers are not reasonable any more- unless you are not prone to an accumulation of pain. If you move slowly but things don't hurt it might not matter but that's not me. The Uggs were awesome, lower crowds meant I could walk slower and not miss out. Also, the break in the middle allowed me to heal in between spurts.
Day 1 was travel, we arrived and I rested- enjoying the treehouse villa
. It's kind of isolated and off the beaten path so I was really happy we had a rental car to help manage time on my feet, need to reserve the strain for family time.
Day 2 we did Epcot, our party of 6 logged 15,197 steps through the day. I wore my ugg boots which helped a lot, thank goodness it was cool out.
Day 3 we did Animal Kingdom , also logged nearly 12000 steps. By the end of the day I was limping pretty badly so I was glad I wasn't doing another park for a while. Wore Uggs again which really helped keep my feet warm and prevented friction on my Achilles' tendon.
Day 4 we drove our rental car to the cruise, they had good handicapped parking at the front of terminal parking so that was a help at about $60 for the 3 night cruise. We unloaded with a porter then made our way. We were a DVC party so the wait was short- there were seats to the side with a Disney employee so I think/suspect a person in pain could wait then rejoin party at the desk for the photo op
The boat, It was lovely to be in a space that didn't require too much walking/standing. Good option for those who want the Disney experience but physically can't do the walking and don't want a wheelchair. Seems a better fit for us now.
Day 5, we went to the Bahamas. Didn't go too far into town. In truth I wanted to stay on the boat and rest but the other couple we were with wanted to venture out so we did. Walked a bit down the main strip, then dipped into Senor Frogs where we had a great deal of fun"resting our feet
" it was fine but I wouldn't do it again- walkways were a bit uneven here and there so someone with an unsteady gait might find it to be a struggle- Boat was better
Day 6, we went on to
Castaway Cay and stayed in a cabana. First, they have a dr on the island - We saw an elderly woman be rescued from a blackout - seems she went facedown in the sand, 20 something grandson didn't notice right away and rest of family had gone off, it was cold and the beach was deserted ( we were on the other side of the island) so very few eyes around- thank goodness the girl who takes drink orders happened to see her and radio for help, my DH and son helped the lady up and the doctor was there to take care of her and get her to medical so that was good. There are 2 shuttles to move guests around the island and limit walking which is pretty fantastic. Very very non wheelchair using handicapped supportive organization & setup, I would totally recommend Castaway Cay and the whole
Disney Cruise line experience for anyone like me who is handicapped but not wheelchair dependent and who wants to do Disney but just can't physically tolerate what the parks demand as things are now.
Day 7, got back to WDW and checked in at Animal Kingdom Villa. This place is huge but doable as long as you have a rental car and park near your room. The first day We used the free valet for handicapped persons at the main entrance and I regretted it since we were in room 7766 or something like that so the walk was awful- my whole party was about 2 hallways in front of me. Normally my family stays with me but we we were with another couple and the guy was a colleague from my husbands job so no one wanted to make a scene. They were the sorts who think everything can be fixed by veggies and the 'right outlook' so what can ya do. After getting settled my husband sprinted back to the lobby and moved the car for me so it was a short walk from the closest elevator for the rest of the time. We were in room 7766. I had wanted to go to Universal but didn't think I could manage so we skipped it and went to see Deadpool at Downtown Disney- aka Disney Springs . They have valet parking, I think it's a $20 max
Day 7, Magic Kingdom - 14,600 steps- glad I rested up for this one. I wore my easy spirit sneakers and made it. At the end of the day I was in soooo much pain but I was able to enjoy my day and do what I wanted, grateful I saved it for the last day because if I had done it first like I used to do I would have been in too much pain to do anything else.
Day 8 was just a travel back home day.
Overall Recommendation, I'd say it's doable for people like me as long as you prepare your party for the concessions and pace yourself. I think the spacing out is key, if you can do the cruise, if it's too expensive, and it is expensive, then split time with pool days or beach days to rest in between. Since they don't have non expiring pass options any more resist the urge to buy too much up front. Instead buy the minimum and add days as you go at the resort lobby, nothing worse than feeling bad about a handicap and kicking yourself over lost money.
