Disabilities, Disney, Dissonance, and related musings

SUMMARY: Walt Disney World planning vacation with scooter.

I did Disneyland 2 years ago with a scooter, after two miserable trips to Walt Disney World without one, where I was in agony constantly, making it a challenge to enjoy my dream come true. Seriously--after wanting to go to WDW my entire adult life, I finally got to go, and my body failed me.  It was a weird dissonance between full-on joy at being there and being in so much pain that at times I could barely walk.  Thoroughly having a grand time when sitting, and not so much when trying to move. I did a *lot* of walking those trips, but only a fraction of the miles I used to cover or needed to cover for that park.

I did my best to keep myself functional...

So I finally caved and got the scooter after that for my next trip to DL (see link above). I'd cover the longer stretches in the scooter, then park and walk around a smaller area, stand in line for rides, and so on. Sure wish I could've taken the scooter in some of those lines, but I didn't try. Just learned that at WDW you can take the scooter in many lines! Very happy! The less time standing with bad knees and back, the better.

I still took a lot of photos at that last DL trip, although tougher when managing a scooter.  Like this one of my sis, bro-in-law, and Mr Fox on the train.

Wait... what was sis taking a photo of??

It was good strategy, I think, to get a lot of scooter practice at a park with which I am intimately familiar, before crossing the continent to try at a much larger, much less familiar place.

Earlier this year I got a new hip, and after I get back from my 3rd-ever trip to WDW later this year I'll get 2 new knees.

I just got home from a walk of nearly a mile (on mostly level surfaces, with a couple of brief stops to talk to people) without needing to sit down. By the end, however,  I was wishing that I had taken a shorter route, and I'm not going to do much more walking today. And, BTW, that was to pick up a form from my doc allowing me to get a temporary disabled placard for cars I'm riding in because I can't always walk a long way.  A little dissonance there, too.  Some days are better than others.

But-- "nearly a mile" of walking will hardly get one in the door at any Disney park (historically I think I averaged 10 or more miles a day of walking happily at DL -- good way to burn off all the goodies).

So I'm hoping to be able to do a lot of walking at WDW, but following the same strategy as at DL.  I'm probably the kind of candidate that people might glare at or say something, grumps who don't understand that not all disabilities are full or are visible, but if they do, no worries. I'll be very, very glad to be able to enjoy this trip so much more than the last 2 and not have to cut my days so short and miss things. And then my joy at being there, and delight at doing things with good friends who are also my relatives, shouldn't have to fall into dissonance with my body's other plans. We hope!

Where Literature and the Jungle Cruise Meet

SUMMARY: Books at Jungle Navigation Company Skipper Canteen secret room

I've been to Walt Disney World only twice--once 2 years back and once this past couple of weeks. Not nearly enough time to see and do everything.  (Compare to Disneyland plus California Adventure, which is much smaller, although jam-packed--and I've been there more than a couple dozen times.)

One of our always-must-do rides at both Disneyland (Cal.) and Magic Kingdom (Fla.) is the Jungle Cruise. Terrible puns  and other jokes all the way through, and we love it.

This visit, my seester booked us for lunch at the highly recommended Skipper Canteen at the Jungle Navigation Company Ltd.  It continues the Jungle Cruise ethos for those of us who can't get enough. The waitperson told us, "If you're familiar with the Jungle Cruise ride, we're nothing like that.  Would you like me to point out some things on our menu?  Well, here's some printing, here's some more printing, here's the paper it's printed on..."

Luck placed us into the secret library meeting room of the S.E.A., and we had a chance to peruse some of the titles on their massive bookshelf doors that hide the room (although they were wide open at all times). They include some real titles but mostly lots of in jokes and world of Disney references. I can't begin to identify what a lot of them are, but just the titles of many should be entertaining for even the uninitiated.

Here are the ones I had time to photograph. Among them are;

• Book by Dr. Albert Falls, after whom the famed Schweitzer Falls are named
• A trilogy of waterfalls: "Exploring Great Waterfalls," "Standing on Great Waterfalls," and "Surviving Falls from Great Waterfalls"
• Another nonfiction trilogy starting with Born Into the Jungle
• "Reasonable Expectations" by Charles Skippens
• and more.

(Here's another fan's post with other titles and lots of explanations.)