Trip Report Broken lifts, EMTs, and spitters (oh my!): WDW with a wheelchair and DAS

I’m back, Magicians! For those who don’t know me, my name is Emily. You may recognize me from my sister @krause's Disneyland trip report from this past April, which was in celebration of my 30th birthday! I also wrote a report in September 2018 from a trip with my friend Kaitlyn and @krause wrote one other from a WDW trip from February 2018 for a trip with her family, myself and our parents. The last time I was in WDW was November 2019 (don’t remember a report? You can blame @krause for that as she took the notes) and I cannot wait to get back!

Let's get to the details!

Who: Myself, and my friend Jenny. This is us (I'm on the right):
me and jen.jpg

Some background on Jenny: Jenny was born with cerebral palsy which, for her, means some physical and cognitive disabilities. Jenny will be using an electric wheelchair on our trip. Her physical disabilities affect her life far more than her cognitive disabilities and she lives very independently. That being said, we know that getting the DAS pass will make this trip much more comfortable for her and so we plan to try to get the DAS using the online chat option when the time comes. Jenny has been to WDW before, as a child in 1996 and then again as a teenager (2006ish?). She remembers very little about her ‘96 trip and as a teenager she only did one day at Magic Kingdom, so lots will be new to her!

Some other (probable) players include: My parents, and my sister Kaely, her husband and two children. They are at WDW similar days as us (arrive and leave two days later than we do) and are staying off-property. Our trip dates just happened to coincide but we plan to meet up with them for dinner one night and potentially in a Park if possible. Here's us on our 2019 trip (not sure where the @krause crew was during this photoshoot):
IMG_1345.JPG

From L to R: Mom, Dad, my sister Kaely, her kids G and B (who are much bigger now!), her husband K, and myself.

When: October 25-November 3, 2022. We are flying in the afternoon of the 25th from Winnipeg, Canada where we both live.

Where: Pop Century Resort. This is only my second stay on property after staying at Port Orleans Riverside in February 2018. I liked the idea of having Skyliner access so that we don’t have to load the wheelchair on a bus each time we want to hit a park. I have not yet been on the Skyliner so having a wheelchair on there actually scares me a little bit but I’m pushing through the fear!

Up Next: The "Why"
 

AKemily

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
(Warning: This is a text-heavy post)

As promised, the Why : Jenny and I have been planning this trip for a few years now. We even had it booked a couple times and had to cancel due to pandemic-related travel restrictions. As the title says - we figure the third time’s the charm and this one will actually happen!

Jenny deserves a Disney trip more than anyone I know. Her disabilities (and the pandemic) aside, the last handful of years for her have been incredibly difficult. To put it lightly, she has suffered from immense mental health issues. On top of that, she has lost both of her biological parents and her maternal grandfather in the last couple of years. Despite her pain and grief, anyone who knows Jenny would describe her as a joyful and compassionate person. She is the type of person that people are drawn to, and she has many people who love her dearly.

I look forward to bringing Jenny to a place of so much joy and magic. I hope that it will be an escape for her as it is for me. Jenny is also known for her big reactions so I look forward to taking her on some of the thrill rides :D We are sure to have a blast!!
roller-coaster.gif


Note: Anything I say regarding Jenny’s disabilities and various health issues are approved by her. In fact, when I asked her what I had permission to include, she said “Everything! That is what I’m here for”. Jenny believes (as do I!) that her purpose in this life is to encourage others who are going through similar things to what she has gone through in life. With that being said, if you have any questions regarding her health or her experience at Disney, please do not be shy! We will answer whatever questions you may have.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do a trip report but I figured if I started a pre-trip report I would have to complete it! I may need some good old-fashioned @amjt660 guilt-tripping coaxing encouragement to finish the thing though. Also, after all the DAS pass and Disney accessibility research I did, I want to report on how everything went and what more we learned along the way. I hope you’ll follow along for the fun and also learn about what it’s like to go to Disney with disabilities!

Up Next: Dining Reservations
 

krause

Well-Known Member
The last time I was in WDW was November 2019 (don’t remember a report? You can blame @krause for that as she took the notes

Wow. November 2019 was a hard time for some of us in health care 😂. I still have the notes I’d be happy to pass them along to you lol

Here's us on our 2019 trip (not sure where the @krause crew was during this photoshoot):

I was meeting Pocahontas with Kinley and Lukas was at the house with a VERY sick malcolm (seriously, these guys would have LOVED this report)


So so so excited for you and Jenny!!!
 

AKemily

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
November 2019 was a hard time for some of us in health care 😂
I believe the pandemic only began in early 2020... before that you must have just been bored, right? 🧐😘
It is great to hear that you are going back and even better that we get to meet Jenny

It sounds like you two are really close..

forrest gump 90s GIF


And with respect to keeping you on track…

Trying I Can Do It GIF by HULU



Max
We really are! And thanks, Max, I knew I could count on you 😌
What a beautiful friend you are. ❤️

Winnie The Pooh Words GIF by Positive Programming


I hope you and Jenny have a wonderful vacation! And I hope to read all about it (but will not give you any @amjt660 guilt if you don’t finish. 😉:hilarious:)
Snow White And The Seven Dwarves Dwarf GIF

Honoured to have you read along, @Tuvalu 🥰
Looking forward to following along! Our trips will overlap slightly - we will be there from the 20th to 28th!
Oh that's great!! I hope you see hi if you see us! ☺️
Sharing Disney with friends is awesome!!!

Have a great trip!!
Everyone needs a friend like you and one like Jenny!! Excited to follow along!
beauty and the beast disney GIF
This trip sounds fantastic. Glad you and Jenny are finally able to make it happen.
This sounds amazing! Can’t wait to hear more!
Thank you all for reading along! Excited to have you with us! 🥳

Happy Best Friends GIF by Mickey Mouse
 

MoragL

Member
I’m back, Magicians! For those who don’t know me, my name is Emily. You may recognize me from my sister @krause's Disneyland trip report from this past April, which was in celebration of my 30th birthday! I also wrote a report in September 2018 from a trip with my friend Kaitlyn and @krause wrote one other from a WDW trip from February 2018 for a trip with her family, myself and our parents. The last time I was in WDW was November 2019 (don’t remember a report? You can blame @krause for that as she took the notes) and I cannot wait to get back!

Let's get to the details!

Who: Myself, and my friend Jenny. This is us (I'm on the right):
View attachment 663608
Some background on Jenny: Jenny was born with cerebral palsy which, for her, means some physical and cognitive disabilities. Jenny will be using an electric wheelchair on our trip. Her physical disabilities affect her life far more than her cognitive disabilities and she lives very independently. That being said, we know that getting the DAS pass will make this trip much more comfortable for her and so we plan to try to get the DAS using the online chat option when the time comes. Jenny has been to WDW before, as a child in 1996 and then again as a teenager (2006ish?). She remembers very little about her ‘96 trip and as a teenager she only did one day at Magic Kingdom, so lots will be new to her!

Some other (probable) players include: My parents, and my sister Kaely, her husband and two children. They are at WDW similar days as us (arrive and leave two days later than we do) and are staying off-property. Our trip dates just happened to coincide but we plan to meet up with them for dinner one night and potentially in a Park if possible. Here's us on our 2019 trip (not sure where the @krause crew was during this photoshoot):
View attachment 663609
From L to R: Mom, Dad, my sister Kaely, her kids G and B (who are much bigger now!), her husband K, and myself.

When: October 25-November 3, 2022. We are flying in the afternoon of the 25th from Winnipeg, Canada where we both live.

Where: Pop Century Resort. This is only my second stay on property after staying at Port Orleans Riverside in February 2018. I liked the idea of having Skyliner access so that we don’t have to load the wheelchair on a bus each time we want to hit a park. I have not yet been on the Skyliner so having a wheelchair on there actually scares me a little bit but I’m pushing through the fear!

Up Next: The "Why"
Fellow Winnipegger here - just going to miss you as we return home on the 22nd of October
 

AKemily

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It sounds like a great adventure! I can't wait to hear more.
We are sure you both will have a very magical time. You both deserve it. Looking forward to your report.
Looking forward to reading however much of a TR that you decide to write 😊
Thanks so much for following! 🤩
Fellow Winnipegger here - just going to miss you as we return home on the 22nd of October
Ah so great to have another Winnipegger around these parts! :joyfull: I hope you have a wonderful trip!!
Sounds like such a special trip!!
I’m anxiously waiting to hear your plans in the hopes our park days overlap!!🤭
Yes, it’s going to be amazing! That would be so cool to meet up! I’m hoping to post more tonight :happy:
 

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