{"id":575,"date":"2021-11-21T21:35:52","date_gmt":"2021-11-21T21:35:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/katiesdiscoverableworld.com\/?p=575"},"modified":"2021-11-21T21:35:54","modified_gmt":"2021-11-21T21:35:54","slug":"youre-going-to-disney-world-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/katiesdiscoverableworld.com\/?p=575","title":{"rendered":"\u201cYou\u2019re going to Disney World\u2026.AGAIN?!\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why Disney is therapeutic for me<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are many forms of therapy out there some more medicinal in nature while others more retail\u2026.Unfortunately for my bank account going to Disney World is a particularly draining form of therapy.\u00a0 However, it\u2019s home<\/em> to me. \u00a0 I try to get to Disney World at least once per year.\u00a0 There is nothing I love more than sharing with people why this place matters so much to me.\u00a0 Since I can\u2019t physically take everyone with me, allow me to point out some highlights of a good Disney trip and why it\u2019s so special to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
its impossible to be stressed while wearing Minnie ears and meeting the Mouse herself<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Being a child of the 90\u2019s, I had the privilege of being a part of what is known as the Disney Renaissance.\u00a0 This period of Disney resurgence started with The Little Mermaid in 1989 and continued through the 90\u2019s.\u00a0 My first trip to Disney World happened when I was 3 and meeting my favorite characters was pure, innocent magic.\u00a0 I grew up watching the Disney Sing Along videos and other classic Disney movies.\u00a0 Way before Disney +, I was already well versed in Disney movies. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
my very first visit with autograph book in hand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
the pure joy of getting an autograph from Pinnochio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This solid foundation of Disney experiences combined with the fortunate ability of several Disney vacations led me to apply to the Disney College Program.\u00a0 By this time in my life, I was using my scooter full time, but I learned a lot of tips and tricks for traveling with a mobility disability.\u00a0 I was ALWAYS in the parks even on my off days.\u00a0 You could usually find me at Hollywood Studios catching one of the shows, Beauty and the Beast is my favorite (always request to be down in front \ud83d\ude42 )!\u00a0 I really loved watching the shows since I didn\u2019t have to transfer from my scooter.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
me (far right) on the Disney College Program<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To fully appreciate a Disney park you must suspend disbelief and allow yourself to be transported to somewhere else.\u00a0 Fortunately for me, that is usually just what I need.\u00a0 I am happy shopping on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood Studios, enjoying a mimosa in France (EPCOT) or people watching in the Magic Kingdom.\u00a0 As much as I love the rides I can have just as much fun without them.\u00a0 As someone with a mobility disability it\u2019s important to know which rides are accessible to me. If I am traveling with someone in my party who can help me transfer off and on rides, I can pretty much do everything.\u00a0 If not, I can have fun with shows and rides that are easier to transfer.\u00a0 From the moment you drive onto Disney property you will notice first that the street signs look slightly different as you leave the real world.\u00a0 Then you can\u2019t park at the Magic Kingdom, you have to take a ferry or monorail which is meant to further take you away.\u00a0 This was designed on purpose by Disney Imagineers to draw you further away from the real world.\u00a0 Disney World has a magical quality that allows my anxieties to quiet and make my problems feel small.\u00a0 It\u2019s just not possible to feel stress while wearing Mickey ears anyway?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
me on the new Rise of the Resistance ride in Hollywood Studios<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Even the restaurants are an experience!\u00a0 Some of my favorite Disney memories involve a restaurant.\u00a0 For that matter some of my favorite memories in general involve food, but I digress.\u00a0 One of my favorite memories was dining inside the Beast\u2019s castle at \u201cBe Our Guest\u201d restaurant.\u00a0 My family ate there soon after it first opened and the Beast came to our table to say hello.\u00a0 I am\u00a0 a full grown adult but this moment was unforgetable.\u00a0 I also enjoy dining at Ohana in the Polynesian resort.\u00a0 Upon check in ask to sit near the windows for a view of the castle.\u00a0 If you\u2019re there during the fireworks they pipe in the music too so you have dinner and a show!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
the Beast being his charming self!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you need help extra help navigating lines, Disney offers something called Disability Access Service, or DAS.\u00a0 This service serves as virtual line holder.\u00a0 Now, Disney is allowing guests to register for DAS prior to your trip.\u00a0 However, if you aren\u2019t able to pre-register online you can still go to Guest Relations when you are there.\u00a0 If you have specific questions about how this service works let me know in the comments below.\u00a0 This service has helped me tremendously, and I have a lot of experience with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Dining in the new Space 220 restaurant in EPCOT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When I\u2019m visiting Disney World I prefer to stay on property as it allows me to remain in the Disney \u201cbubble\u201d even when I leave the parks.\u00a0 Disney offers various accommodation prices and my budget determines where I can stay.\u00a0 However, I love the Contemporary for its convenience and spaciousness of the room.\u00a0 Because I travel with a mobility scooter, I value space so much in a room.\u00a0 From the Contemporary you can either walk to the Magic Kingdom or take the monorail, which conveniently stops in the lobby!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To wrap things up, Disney World is more than just a theme park.\u00a0 Its an entire world of restaurants, transportation, and accommodations that allows me to leave my worries at the gate and feel care free.\u00a0 Even the calories don\u2019t count! \ud83d\ude09 haha if only\u2026 The familiarity of rides and comfort of nostalgia combined with constant innovation makes every visit unique.\u00a0 No matter how many times I go, I always have new experiences which continues to make it exciting.\u00a0 The best advice I have for visiting Disney World is to go with the flow, stop to catch the parade, hug a character, and sing along on \u201cit\u2019s a small world\u201d.\u00a0 The magic is in details!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
EMBRACE the magic!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why Disney is therapeutic for me There are many forms of therapy out there some more medicinal in nature while others more retail\u2026.Unfortunately for my bank account going to Disney World is a particularly draining form of therapy.\u00a0 However, it\u2019s home to me. \u00a0 I try to get to Disney World at least once per year.\u00a0 There is nothing I love more than sharing with people why this place matters so much to me.\u00a0 Since I can\u2019t physically take everyone with me, allow me to point out some highlights of a good Disney trip and why it\u2019s so special to me. Being a child of the 90\u2019s, I had the privilege of being a part of what is known as the Disney Renaissance.\u00a0 This period of Disney resurgence started with The Little Mermaid in 1989 and continued through the 90\u2019s.\u00a0 My first trip to Disney World happened when I was 3 and meeting my favorite characters was pure, innocent magic.\u00a0 I grew up watching the Disney Sing Along videos and other classic Disney movies.\u00a0 Way before Disney +, I was already well versed in Disney movies. \u00a0 This solid foundation of Disney experiences combined with the fortunate ability of several Disney vacations led me to apply to the Disney College Program.\u00a0 By this time in my life, I was using my scooter full time, but I learned a lot of tips and tricks for traveling with a mobility disability.\u00a0 I was ALWAYS in the parks even on my off days.\u00a0 You could usually find me at Hollywood Studios catching one of the shows, Beauty and the Beast is my favorite (always request to be down in front \ud83d\ude42 )!\u00a0 I really loved watching the shows since I didn\u2019t have to transfer from my scooter.\u00a0 To fully appreciate a Disney park you must suspend disbelief and allow yourself to be transported to somewhere else.\u00a0 Fortunately for me, that is usually just what I need.\u00a0 I am happy shopping on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood Studios, enjoying a mimosa in France (EPCOT) or people watching in the Magic Kingdom.\u00a0 As much as I love the rides I can have just as much fun without them.\u00a0 As someone with a mobility disability it\u2019s important to know which rides are accessible to me. If I am traveling with someone in my party who can help me transfer off and on rides, I can pretty much do everything.\u00a0 If not, I can have fun with shows and rides that are easier to transfer.\u00a0 From the moment you drive onto Disney property you will notice first that the street signs look slightly different as you leave the real world.\u00a0 Then you can\u2019t park at the Magic Kingdom, you have to take a ferry or monorail which is meant to further take you away.\u00a0 This was designed on purpose by Disney Imagineers to draw you further away from the real world.\u00a0 Disney World has a magical quality that allows my anxieties to quiet and make my problems feel small.\u00a0 It\u2019s just not possible to feel stress while wearing Mickey ears anyway?! Even the restaurants are an experience!\u00a0 Some of my favorite Disney memories involve a restaurant.\u00a0 For that matter some of my favorite memories in general involve food, but I digress.\u00a0 One of my favorite memories was dining inside the Beast\u2019s castle at \u201cBe Our Guest\u201d restaurant.\u00a0 My family ate there soon after it first opened and the Beast came to our table to say hello.\u00a0 I am\u00a0 a full grown adult but this moment was unforgetable.\u00a0 I also enjoy dining at Ohana in the Polynesian resort.\u00a0 Upon check in ask to sit near the windows for a view of the castle.\u00a0 If you\u2019re there during the fireworks they pipe in the music too so you have dinner and a show! If you need help extra help navigating lines, Disney offers something called Disability Access Service, or DAS.\u00a0 This service serves as virtual line holder.\u00a0 Now, Disney is allowing guests to register for DAS prior to your trip.\u00a0 However, if you aren\u2019t able to pre-register online you can still go to Guest Relations when you are there.\u00a0 If you have specific questions about how this service works let me know in the comments below.\u00a0 This service has helped me tremendously, and I have a lot of experience with it. When I\u2019m visiting Disney World I prefer to stay on property as it allows me to remain in the Disney \u201cbubble\u201d even when I leave the parks.\u00a0 Disney offers various accommodation prices and my budget determines where I can stay.\u00a0 However, I love the Contemporary for its convenience and spaciousness of the room.\u00a0 Because I travel with a mobility scooter, I value space so much in a room.\u00a0 From the Contemporary you can either walk to the Magic Kingdom or take the monorail, which conveniently stops in the lobby!\u00a0 To wrap things up, Disney World is more than just a theme park.\u00a0 Its an entire world of restaurants, transportation, and accommodations that allows me to leave my worries at the gate and feel care free.\u00a0 Even the calories don\u2019t count! \ud83d\ude09 haha if only\u2026 The familiarity of rides and comfort of nostalgia combined with constant innovation makes every visit unique.\u00a0 No matter how many times I go, I always have new experiences which continues to make it exciting.\u00a0 The best advice I have for visiting Disney World is to go with the flow, stop to catch the parade, hug a character, and sing along on \u201cit\u2019s a small world\u201d.\u00a0 The magic is in details!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[27,47,76,75,77,48,9,11,22],"class_list":["post-575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-disney-world","tag-accessible-travel","tag-disability-travel","tag-disney","tag-disney-world","tag-disney-world-in-a-wheelchair","tag-friedreichs-ataxia","tag-inclusive","tag-travel","tag-wheelchair"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/katiesdiscoverableworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/katiesdiscoverableworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/katiesdiscoverableworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/katiesdiscoverableworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/katiesdiscoverableworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=575"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/katiesdiscoverableworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":585,"href":"https:\/\/katiesdiscoverableworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575\/revisions\/585"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/katiesdiscoverableworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/katiesdiscoverableworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/katiesdiscoverableworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/katiesdiscoverableworld.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}