Disabilities at Disney – Written by: Antoinette Yagy – owner of Free Wheeling Travel, LLC (a Facebook url)
One of my favorite things in the whole world is to go to theme parks and growing up near the Orlando/Tampa area has provided me with many opportunities to visit and experience some of the best parks in the world and I have learned many ways to navigate it all having MS without sacrificing the fun!
In my quest to experience the various tours available at the parks and their accessibility accommodations provided I recently experienced the Caring for Giants tour at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park.
Caring for Giants is a tour the provides you with a closer look at the elephants at the park and learn what it takes to care for them. On this day I was using an ECV to get around the parks. The tour is limited to small groups which provides an enjoyable experience overall.
The tour guides had me transfer to a manual wheelchair and wheeled me to the transportation van. The van had a lift, which they securely fit me on and used to board me at the back of the van. The cast member then took great care to make sure I was securely strapped in and buckled while still being comfortable with the ride over to the elephant area on the savannah. They took just as much care to get me off the van so I could get as close as possible to the elephants as allowed. There is a paved sidewalk that makes it a smooth ride over.
The CM was even alert enough and apologized because there was a slight dip from the dirt onto the sidewalk and she promised she would let them know so they coils come out and make sure it was evened back out.
We spent about 30 minutes talking with the animal keepers and tour guides learning all the different elephant’s names, personalities and what goes into the day to day care of them. It is evident how much they care for all the animals on the Savannah.
After, we loaded back up on the van to be taken back to our starting point and meet back up with my trusty ECV. At no time was I ever made to feel like a burden or an extra hassle. In fact, I was treated like a VIP.
A few tips:
You need to make reservations as far in advance as possible. Booking starts at 60 days from the first date of your stay, The good news is that it extends out for your entire stay.
You will have to pay for your tour in total at the time of booking.
You do need to let them know if you need accommodations ahead of time.
For pictures and videos of my adventures and tips, please be sure to “like” and follow my Facebook page:
Freewheeling Travel, LLC
You can also message me with any questions you have or would like to utilize my services to book your trips, my services are always 100% free to you.
In my next article I will be sharing my experience taking the Savor the Savannah tour at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park.
Antoinette