As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
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There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
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Moving on with the current of the years.
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It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
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So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Would love to hear some opinions on our situation..
DH is diabetic & has neuropathy in his arms & legs (more so in legs) the pain & numbness is constant..
In August he was involved in a bad car accident that necessitated him having to get rotator cuff surgery.. He had surgery Dec 23rd & is still off work & is still only allowed to lift a coffee cup with his bad arm... Again, right now, he is in constant pain with that.
Due to all of this he gets extremely tired when walking for long periods of time & long distances.. I think 80% is the neuropathy but 20% is tired from simply being in pain .
Now, our WDW trip isn't until late March & hopefully by then his arm will be almost 100% (he will hopefully be back to work in May) .
When I booked our trip I never thought of requesting any special accommodations at our resort but this morning I was thinking of how hard it's going to be for him in WDW..
Should I get him a wheelchair/scooter? I'm not sure he'd use it as he's the type to just 'go with' the pain but the past couple times he's gone grocery shopping with me he's half joked that he's going to get a scooter.. And ( more importantly) he can't sit or stand for any long period of time so not sure if it would be beneficial to get a wheelchair/scooter?
My other question is.. Would I be able to request a ground floor room? I realized it will probably be extremely difficult for him to navigate stairs at then end of a long day so ground floor might be best.. Would I need to bring a doctors excuse to get this request granted?
I don't think he will need a GAC as we are 'seat of our pants' travelers & if a line is too long, we don't wait. Yes, there will be exception as we want to ride the new Star Tours but for the most part.. we don't have a need to ride a certain ride, thus wait in a long line.. or would it be beneficial to get a GAC for him?.. to have him wait in a special area outside of the line until DD & I are there.. I hope I understand that right.. GAC allow the card holder to not wait in a line.. they can go to a designated area & wait until it is our turn on the ride.. is that correct? Again, I personally don't think we'd need it but I may be missing the purpose of a GAC as honestly I never gave a GAC or special accommodations a thought before as we never needed them but I think DH is going to have some 'issues' .
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated (especially on the lower floor room request) .. I just want all of us to have a good time & worry a lot about DH health ( mainly because he DOESN'T!!)
I always request a grown floor room, Unless there is a elevator in the resort, But do ask for a lower floor. When making the reservation tell them you meed a ground floor due to health issues & that DH can not do stairs at all.. If you made your reservation already just call & make that note. As for a scooter, remind DH that there are acres to cover & being in more pain & unhappy is not worth it, Get the scooter & when he wants to walk & stretch his legs he can park & walk or you can drive it a while. I usually have someone that's with me drive my scooter a bit so I can stretch my legs. I need to walk a while or I get very stiff..
I'll second Deb's suggestions and also emphasize that you'll both have a better time if you get a scooter! Many of the ride lines are accessible, so he'll be able to sit while waiting in line.
Thanks Deb & Laurie... I'm going to try to get DH to get a scooter especially on the long days.. Our DS2 high school band is marching before spectromagic/electric parade (whatever they're calling it now) so that day especially will be tiring...
I did already make our ressies .. the ground floor idea came to me when I was thinking of things that needed done.. I realized how hard steps are going to be for him. ..
In your experience, do they honor a ground floor request most times?
Ann,
They will give you a ground floor as long as you make it clear it is for medical reasons. Let them know DH can't do stairs at all due to physical limitations..
You have to be firm and rent the scooter from offsite. Firmly tell him that it is from your house to a point 5 miles away, can he do that? For me the idea of walking from my house to the 605 freeway is too far and I would give in and get a scooter. That is not even as far as I have walked in parks. Emphasize the agony of pushing a heffalump around the park.
I will park my scooter and walk around. I do not like taking my scooter on Disneyland ride lines that are tight like Peter Pan. I like to walk around for a bit so I get some circulation in my legs. If he needs to rest there is the nurse's station. That is a good sanitary place for testing and other stuff. On ADRs you can put that he needs a diabetic menu. They will offer him sugar free desserts and desserts that are more diabetic friendly. Good luck on the trip.
__________________
Mom calls to check on me and reminded me to pay the gardener. I love her so much.
Disneyland was fun with flag retreat and pickles. I have a home here, thank you. GAC is NOT a "front of the line pass".
She is gone but keeping signature. Laundry is getting done. My purpose in life is to help poor people in FL. Farewell, will miss you.
I did call CRO & they noted the ground floor on the reservations. As for the scooter... he is still hesitant & wants to wait to see how it goes.. surprisingly, sitting hurts his arm & legs more than walking thus his hesitation.. He said if he needs it on a sporadic (non daily) basis we can always rent one at the parks which will be less expensive than booking one for the entire stay . We take an afternoon break at the resort so that too will 're-charge' him.
My main concern was the steps at night so that's one load off my mind.
As for noting the diabetic menu on the GAC.. DH is a 'bad' diabetic & likes his occasional sweet so he won't go for that especially at Disney.. Disney is his be free place...
Gotta love his attitude.. I was talking to him this afternoon about the scooter/room request & he said "But I'm in Disney, the pain will be so much less"
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What about a rollator. A walker with 4 wheels and a seat. I have one that I use for daily running around. I used to use it at Disneyland all the time before I got my scooter. It is great since it has a seat if you need to sit. you have a seat with you at all time. You can take it in the lines on the attractions.
My mother recently died of renal failure which was in part due to diabetes. Her cousin died of liver failure due to diabetes. You tell your him about her. If she had stayed on a strict diet starting 10 years ago she might be alive. Mom had diabetic ulcers from out of control sugars. The diabetic diet is not on the GAC but on the ADRs for restaurants.
__________________
Mom calls to check on me and reminded me to pay the gardener. I love her so much.
Disneyland was fun with flag retreat and pickles. I have a home here, thank you. GAC is NOT a "front of the line pass".
She is gone but keeping signature. Laundry is getting done. My purpose in life is to help poor people in FL. Farewell, will miss you.
What about a rollator. A walker with 4 wheels and a seat. I have one that I use for daily running around. I used to use it at Disneyland all the time before I got my scooter. It is great since it has a seat if you need to sit. you have a seat with you at all time. You can take it in the lines on the attractions.
That wouldn't work as he couldn't push it with his rotator cuff ( at least the way it is present day) by April it should be better ( we hope) but I think he's still going to be having arm strength issues.
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Ann, you have gotten some great advice on the room. As for the GAC, just tell them what you told us. He needs to be allowed to wait somewhere away from the main queue lines until it is your turn to ride. Most likely, (IMO) he will be given a "Use alternate entrance" stamp. The GAC will allow all of you (up to 6 in a party) to wait together and be notified when it is your turn to ride.
see, that's what we're unsure of.. will he really need to do that? I would think it will be helpful for him as standing still bothers his legs.. he needs to be constantly moving them or he'll freeze up..
Will we need to bring a note from his doctor or would any of the numerous medical forms/print outs (FMLA paper etc) stating his medical conditions he has work?.. We are currently without health insurance due to his employer not offering him cobra when he went on short term disability & thry let his benefits lapse without telling him. (they are working on getting the matter fixed as his employer dropped the ball BIG TIME~ long story) & I'd hate to pay out of pocket to get a note from the doctor just for a GAC.
His ortho doctor could probably write one up as Jim sees him monthly.
So sorry for sounding so dumb on this but we've never needed anything like this & I just want him to have a good pain free ( or at least not more painful) time & not have any set backs on getting back to work (In May, fingers crossed)
That wouldn't work as he couldn't push it with his rotator cuff ( at least the way it is present day) by April it should be better ( we hope) but I think he's still going to be having arm strength issues.
see, that's what we're unsure of.. will he really need to do that? I would think it will be helpful for him as standing still bothers his legs.. he needs to be constantly moving them or he'll freeze up..
Will we need to bring a note from his doctor or would any of the numerous medical forms/print outs (FMLA paper etc) stating his medical conditions he has work?.. We are currently without health insurance due to his employer not offering him cobra when he went on short term disability & thry let his benefits lapse without telling him. (they are working on getting the matter fixed as his employer dropped the ball BIG TIME~ long story) & I'd hate to pay out of pocket to get a note from the doctor just for a GAC.
His ortho doctor could probably write one up as Jim sees him monthly.
So sorry for sounding so dumb on this but we've never needed anything like this & I just want him to have a good pain free ( or at least not more painful) time & not have any set backs on getting back to work (In May, fingers crossed)
I'm just checking in quickly and I see lots of good advice here.
You and your family have been though SO much lately. I think you deserve a trip for some magic.
I'm rushing here, so I may have missed something but a question ... if it were a perfect world, what accommodation would be needed to help this trip? It sounds like the wheelchair has some problems. You could get the GAC that stamps the time that others are standing in line and return at that time, so he can keep walking around. Would that be more like it?
I'm just checking in quickly and I see lots of good advice here.
You and your family have been though SO much lately. I think you deserve a trip for some magic.
I'm rushing here, so I may have missed something but a question ... if it were a perfect world, what accommodation would be needed to help this trip? It sounds like the wheelchair has some problems. You could get the GAC that stamps the time that others are standing in line and return at that time, so he can keep walking around. Would that be more like it?
Yes, that would probably work the best.. It's the standing still that really flares the neuropathy up...
I'm of the opinion, we go to guest services & get a GAC as an 'in case' he needs it.. I know Jim & he will try to tough it out as long as possible but it would be nice to just have it in case he's got a problem.. especially later in the trip & closer to DS2 band marching... I want him to be able to enjoy watching Brendan & not be in more constant pain ... that & the fact that the more pain he's in the crabbier/moodier he gets so I want these 'accommodations' for me & DD as well..
Yes, that would probably work the best.. It's the standing still that really flares the neuropathy up...
I'm of the opinion, we go to guest services & get a GAC as an 'in case' he needs it.. I know Jim & he will try to tough it out as long as possible but it would be nice to just have it in case he's got a problem.. especially later in the trip & closer to DS2 band marching... I want him to be able to enjoy watching Brendan & not be in more constant pain ... that & the fact that the more pain he's in the crabbier/moodier he gets so I want these 'accommodations' for me & DD as well..
So I would go with that. You can either wait in the alternate waiting area which should have a bench so he could sit or stand as he needs or you can walk around. Getting wheels and allowing him to stand and sit as needed would be a second solution you MIGHT want to consider if his legs could give out during distance, though. There is SO much to consider, but safety is first.
Ann, each resort has a certain number of manual wheelchairs for guests to use free-of-charge. They are available on a first come, first serve basis and can be kept for length of stay. Just throwing that out there for you. Jeffrey didn't want to commit to one either, but a CM told me he could use one, if it turned out he needed it. We took our trip very slow, with resort and park breaks built in. That helped a lot.
Ann, you have gotten some great advice on the room. As for the GAC, just tell them what you told us. He needs to be allowed to wait somewhere away from the main queue lines until it is your turn to ride. Most likely, (IMO) he will be given a "Use alternate entrance" stamp. The GAC will allow all of you (up to 6 in a party) to wait together and be notified when it is your turn to ride.
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