When my husband lost his leg, he made the comment that his theme park days were over. This made my heart heavy as we have a 10-year-old (at the time she was 8) and the thought of us not sharing this experience again as a family made me sad. When I found out my brother and his family were coming to visit us this year and they wanted to make sure to plan a visit to either Disney or Universal, once again I was sad. Theme parks are always stressful, even for those of us that don’t have a disability, let alone having to figure out and maneuver through the droves of people, rides, and a long day of walking.

He was willing to try with no expectations of what we should expect, but only that we were there as a family to enjoy the magical experience with the kids (our daughter and my niece). We planned the day and figured out what we needed for accommodation’s. My husband provides a recap of what we experienced and what you need to be prepared for if you plan to visit a Theme park.

Theme park. Two words that can bring on anxiety for parents young and old. And now that I am an amputee, the anxiety level is kicked up a few notches. Theme parks offer a lot of walking, standing, stairs, inclines, uneven surfaces, people bumping into to you, children cutting you off, moving walkways, and that’s just the first few yards into the park. I wanted to share my experience on my recent visit to WDW – Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

Parking: I don’t always use my accessible parking pass as I am fully capable of walking but I took advantage of the parking at Disney as I knew I had a ton of walking ahead of me. Accessible Parking is available near the front of the entrance to the ticketing area and the monorail that takes you to the Magic Kingdom. There is no discounted parking but the signs are well marked for those that have accessible parking plaque. There is still some walking involved to get to the ticketing area as the curbside is reserved for the bus traffic only. Anticipate walking a few hundred yards just to get to the ticketing area. Once through the ticketing area, there is an inclined walkway that leads up to the monorail to take you to the park. There are courtesy wheelchairs available in the parking area, so this may be an option if you don’t have your own and need to get to the gate.  Please note, that you are not able to take these past the actual entrance to the park.

Wheel Chair Access: Upon entering the Magic Kingdom, there are wheel chairs for rent for a small fee. I had no intention of using a wheel chair but I wanted to have one just in case. I carry my crutches with me most places with the same intent of not using them if I can help it. However, my prosthesis is made of parts that can break and I want to be prepared in the event it does. In addition, if you need to sit down to add socks or rest, you always have a place to sit down without having to find a bench or chair. For the $12, it was added security for me and came in handy.

Guest Services: I also checked in with Guest Services, a little further into the park, just inside the entrance, to the left. I asked if there were any rides or attractions that amputees were restricted from riding. I explained to them the type of amputation I had (BK) and my mobility issues with my suspension sleeve (more to follow on that) and the gentleman explained that Space Mountain could be a little tight but as a rule, Disney did not restrict amputees from any rides or attractions in the Magic Kingdom, good information to know.

I also received the Disability Access Service (DAS Pass) from Guest Services. This works like a Fast Pass for the rides and up to 6 people in your party can accompany you on the rides. This was very helpful because on some of the more popular rides, the wait times can be extremely long and having to stand in lines as an amputee can put added stress on my limb. The DAS pass allows you to return to the ride at a designated time and basically bypass the long lines, thus decreasing the amount of time you have to stand. Well worth the time it takes to visit Guest Services for this benefit. Please note, that you will need to see the Fastpass Disney Representative at the ride, they will scan your pass, add the number of riders and give you a return time. You cannot arrive before that time, but can use it at any point after that time and the person with the DAS pass must accompany everyone in your party on that ride. We also found that you can only use it for one ride at a time, so once you “reserve” your ride, you can’t use it again until you have gone on that ride.

Rides: Because I was forewarned by Guest Services that Space Mountain could be an issue, I did not attempt to get on the ride. It was not on my list of rides I wanted to hit and my wife accompanied my daughter on the ride so no harm no foul. A couple of the rides had moving walkways that you had to use to enter the ride (Peter Pan Ride & The Little Mermaid). Because my balance is pretty good and my Rush 87 foot has dynamic movement, I had no issues entering or exiting the rides with moving walkways. I have an Ottobock suspension sleeve, which limits the flexibility in my knee, in other words, it is difficult to bend my knee back a full 90 degrees. Because of this issue, the only ride I felt uncomfortable on was the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, in which I had to bend my leg beyond my comfort limit. However, my daughter and I were in the same train car and I was not going to ruin the ride for her due to a little bit of discomfort. Other then that, I was always aware of my surroundings entering and exiting rides to ensure I had sure footing and there were no slipping or tripping hazards. One of the most awkward experiences was coming off the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It is an incline up, but also a moving walkway…. This was a little bit of a challenge, but I was able to handle it.

Walking: This is where my Rush 87 foot shined. There are so many different types of variations; concrete, asphalt, stone, curbs, uneven services, moving walkways, stairs, inclines, declines, people, children, strollers, etc. Before I left the car, I ensured I took twice as many ply socks then I normally use in a day. I did not want to get caught in the park without being able to add a ply when needed. I did not have to get in the wheel chair, other than to add a ply. All total I walked over 12,000 steps, new personal best for me! Was I a little bit fatigued, yes but I proved to myself that theme parks are doable and the confidence in my walking ability just went up a notch. Maybe I can get out there and walk the golf course again?

Final Thoughts: I visited the park during unusually cold weather for Orlando. The temperature never rose above 50 degrees and hovered in the high 30’s and low 40’s most of the day. I would have had a totally different experience had the weather been warmer, mainly the sweating issue in my liner. No complaints, I prefer cold Disney over hot Disney any time. Even though my Rush 87 foot performed well, I do not have a hydraulic ankle that would have helped compensate for the inclines and declines so if there was one area that I had to adjust my gait, it was during the ups and downs.

All in all, it was a day of unknowns and firsts. I proved to myself I could handle a theme park, with some modifications, but all in all, was able to have a fabulous time with our family and make some memories we will never forget!