Date of Visit: July 27-August 1, 2011
We have never cared about accessible hotel rooms, as they do not really
help Mik other than the roll in shower. Plus, Mik finds handicap raised
toilets harder for him. Also, we have heard the accessible rooms are in
high demand at Disney World and others actually need them. Thus we
never even tried to get an accessible room for the All Star Music
Resort. It was not horrible without, but i certainly would not stay
there again without an accessible room.
As a budget hotel the rooms are extra small. We have stayed at budget
hotels before, but never anything this small with Mik. The room was
barely big enough to have a place to put the wheelchair anywhere you
wouldn't trip over it. It certainly could barely fit anywhere past the
area near the window and door, as the bed was so close to TV stand.
Luckily Mik preferred to relax on the floor and take a break from his
chair anyways.
The bathroom is not that big, but that was expected and not really an
issue. I was just surprised at the limited area to move about the room.
We liked that to get to the food court the building had motion sensor
sliding automatic doors, so no need for a button. The same type of
doors lead out to the buses from the lobby. The food court was
sometimes hard to navigate through with the crowds and minimal space in
the ordering area, but there is plenty of seating and the service was
great. One day Mik got a taco salad and because he could not see what
the toppings and such were the CM went through the options one by one
asking if he wanted that on his salad. Plus, since he didn't want
certain things she gave extra of the things he liked.
First thing we got at the food court was refillable mugs. They costs
about $15 each, but you get unlimited refills during your stay and we
certainly got our money's worth out of them.
The bus transportation to the resorts worked our pretty good during our stay. There are lines depending on where you want to go and most have a line specifically for wheelchairs. However, a few do not. We did not wait in the regular line for those without one, as they still need to load the wheelchair first and that did not make sense to us. Instead we found waiting by the sign for these lines worked fine.
Note that sometimes the buses arrive full still needing to drop off passengers at the All Star Movie resort and you end up having to wait for the next one. Also, I noticed every once in a while Cruise Line buses were being used. These buses are not the ones with lifts. Luckily, none of the times it affected us, but I felt bad for the two people who had been waiting for a bus that still had to wait when I was leaving Magic Kingdom one night by myself. However, it does seem these are added in addition to the regular ones to help when the bus lines get long for certain routes and accessible ones still come around at normal intervals.
Most buses are kneeling buses with ramps that flip out. However, some are still old style with a lift. All can accommodate at least 2 wheelchairs/scooters and some can handle 3.
Destination Info:
Disney's All Star Music Resort
Walt Disney World
1801 West Buena Vista Drive
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Chronicling the our experiences o traveling with wheelchair...the adventures and misadventures
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
D23 Expo 2011: Mickey's of Glendale
Date: August 20, 2011
We almost did not go to the Mickey's of Glendale shop because I asked Mik if he wanted to go in as we exited the Carousel of Projects and he did not say anything. Then as we were about to leave the Expo I asked if there was anything left he wanted to see/do and he said the Mickey's of Glendale shop, so we went back to it. We were glad we did, but it was not a fun experience.
The Mickey's of Glendale shop is very crammed with displays and merchandise. Even without the crowds of people it would barely be navigable with the wheelchair. Add people and we got stuck being unable to go any direction for 5 minutes. I ended up leaving Mik in one stop and looking at the stuff. Luckily, I found a must have pin for Mik's collection that made the whole experience worth it in hindsight. It was a Sorcerer Grumpy pin for Mik's Grumpy (Mik's favorite Disney character) pin collection.
It was not fun to be stuck once I came back to him with what we wanted and were trying to get out of the shop, but Mik has keeps bringing up how happy he is to have a new Grumpy pin for his collection, so it was worth the hassle with it being the highlight of the trip for him. The funny thing is when I came back to him and handed him the Grumpy pin, he gave me a weird look like is the pin your getting what about one for me? Sorcerer Mickey is my favorite character (I do not collect every pin, though, as too many feature him) and he thought the Sorcerer Grumpy was a Sorcerer Micky pin. Once he figured out how awesome it was to finally have a new Grumpy pin (its been over a year since he has found one he did not already have), he was speechless until of course he could not stop bringing it up as we were walking to hotel/Disneyland and waiting in line for rides.
We both also ended up selecting a Carousel of Projects pin to buy at Mickey's of Glendale. Mik also got a red Sorcerer Mickey tumbler cup and I got a magnet with Sorcerer Mickey and a Smashed Penny Mystery Pin (ended up being the New Year's one and not of interest to me, but maybe another thing I could trade).
Destination:
D23 Expo
Anaheim Convention Center
800 West Katella Ave
Anaheim, CA
We almost did not go to the Mickey's of Glendale shop because I asked Mik if he wanted to go in as we exited the Carousel of Projects and he did not say anything. Then as we were about to leave the Expo I asked if there was anything left he wanted to see/do and he said the Mickey's of Glendale shop, so we went back to it. We were glad we did, but it was not a fun experience.
The Mickey's of Glendale shop is very crammed with displays and merchandise. Even without the crowds of people it would barely be navigable with the wheelchair. Add people and we got stuck being unable to go any direction for 5 minutes. I ended up leaving Mik in one stop and looking at the stuff. Luckily, I found a must have pin for Mik's collection that made the whole experience worth it in hindsight. It was a Sorcerer Grumpy pin for Mik's Grumpy (Mik's favorite Disney character) pin collection.
It was not fun to be stuck once I came back to him with what we wanted and were trying to get out of the shop, but Mik has keeps bringing up how happy he is to have a new Grumpy pin for his collection, so it was worth the hassle with it being the highlight of the trip for him. The funny thing is when I came back to him and handed him the Grumpy pin, he gave me a weird look like is the pin your getting what about one for me? Sorcerer Mickey is my favorite character (I do not collect every pin, though, as too many feature him) and he thought the Sorcerer Grumpy was a Sorcerer Micky pin. Once he figured out how awesome it was to finally have a new Grumpy pin (its been over a year since he has found one he did not already have), he was speechless until of course he could not stop bringing it up as we were walking to hotel/Disneyland and waiting in line for rides.
We both also ended up selecting a Carousel of Projects pin to buy at Mickey's of Glendale. Mik also got a red Sorcerer Mickey tumbler cup and I got a magnet with Sorcerer Mickey and a Smashed Penny Mystery Pin (ended up being the New Year's one and not of interest to me, but maybe another thing I could trade).
Destination:
D23 Expo
Anaheim Convention Center
800 West Katella Ave
Anaheim, CA
D23 Expo 2011: Carousel of Projects
Date: August 20, 2011
We got to the Carousel of Projects right before the Expo opened to the public. It was a little wait to go into the little room that shows a quick movie. The movie was not that interesting and we ended up stuck in the back because they held the wheelchairs off to the side and ended up in last with others cutting ahead. Mik was annoyed that he could not see anything, but I could pretty much see everything and it really was not like he missed anything great, although it was kind of cool how the exit thing worked with Tinkerbell opening the curtain to the exhibit.
Inside the exhibit area it was quite kind of crowded, but it was not too bad to go around and see everything. I liked seeing the concept vehicles for the new Carsland, especially watching the firetruck's eyes. However, we actually are not interested in the new land, as it does not seem any of the new rides will be the type that can be accessible, although the flying saucer style one Mik would try if we brought along someone to transfer him.
Mik loved seeing the concept vehicle for the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride for the new Fantasyland area at Disney World. We knew about the ride and he is not actually interested in it, as he is not into roller coasters, but he loves Grumpy and liked seeing him as one of the dwarfs in the ride vehicle.
Destination:
D23 Expo
Anaheim Convention Center
800 West Katella Ave
Anaheim, CA
We got to the Carousel of Projects right before the Expo opened to the public. It was a little wait to go into the little room that shows a quick movie. The movie was not that interesting and we ended up stuck in the back because they held the wheelchairs off to the side and ended up in last with others cutting ahead. Mik was annoyed that he could not see anything, but I could pretty much see everything and it really was not like he missed anything great, although it was kind of cool how the exit thing worked with Tinkerbell opening the curtain to the exhibit.
Inside the exhibit area it was quite kind of crowded, but it was not too bad to go around and see everything. I liked seeing the concept vehicles for the new Carsland, especially watching the firetruck's eyes. However, we actually are not interested in the new land, as it does not seem any of the new rides will be the type that can be accessible, although the flying saucer style one Mik would try if we brought along someone to transfer him.
Mik loved seeing the concept vehicle for the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride for the new Fantasyland area at Disney World. We knew about the ride and he is not actually interested in it, as he is not into roller coasters, but he loves Grumpy and liked seeing him as one of the dwarfs in the ride vehicle.
Destination:
D23 Expo
Anaheim Convention Center
800 West Katella Ave
Anaheim, CA
D23 Expo 2011: Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives
Date: August 20, 2011
After shopping at the Treasure Trove shop, we headed back around to go through the Treasures exhibit. The exhibit was nice and empty considering it was still only about 10 minutes after the Expo opened for members and people were mostly downstairs for the Arena or maybe had just done it yesterday already. This was our favorite part of the Expo mainly because there were no crowds to deal with, but also it was set up with more space to move around than most other exhibits/stores.
The exhibit featured a variety of props from Disney movies and shows. Our favorite part was the props from the National Treasure movies. We also liked the Tron area, but thought it would have been cooler with the motorcycle or maybe a lightcycle. The props from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie were also interesting, but the they had a much larger exhibit of the 4th movie props in the main exhibit hall. Other movies/shows represented included Hocus Pocus, Zorro, Rocketeer, Lost, and Roger Rabbit.
Destination:
D23 Expo
Anaheim Convention Center
800 West Katella Ave
Anaheim, CA
After shopping at the Treasure Trove shop, we headed back around to go through the Treasures exhibit. The exhibit was nice and empty considering it was still only about 10 minutes after the Expo opened for members and people were mostly downstairs for the Arena or maybe had just done it yesterday already. This was our favorite part of the Expo mainly because there were no crowds to deal with, but also it was set up with more space to move around than most other exhibits/stores.
The exhibit featured a variety of props from Disney movies and shows. Our favorite part was the props from the National Treasure movies. We also liked the Tron area, but thought it would have been cooler with the motorcycle or maybe a lightcycle. The props from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie were also interesting, but the they had a much larger exhibit of the 4th movie props in the main exhibit hall. Other movies/shows represented included Hocus Pocus, Zorro, Rocketeer, Lost, and Roger Rabbit.
Destination:
D23 Expo
Anaheim Convention Center
800 West Katella Ave
Anaheim, CA
D23 Expo 2011: Treasure Trove
Date: August 20, 2011
Today they let the D23 line in way before 9am to line up inside for the areas you wanted to go right at 9am. The first level was very crowded with people wanting to go to the Arena, so we decided to go up to the Treasure exhibit first. We ended up getting in the Treasure Trove store line first, since yesterday the lines for the stores got bad quickly.
Inside the Treasure Trove store there was plenty of room to navigate and it was also pleasantly not very crowded because very few cam up to the Treasures area first thing. Mik ended up getting the Snow White Book pin and I got a D23 Expo magnet.
The checkout queue was not bad because it was not very long, but it was set up barely wide enough to even turn Mik's wheelchair for the turns.
Destination:
D23 Expo
Anaheim Convention Center
800 West Katella Ave
Anaheim, CA
Today they let the D23 line in way before 9am to line up inside for the areas you wanted to go right at 9am. The first level was very crowded with people wanting to go to the Arena, so we decided to go up to the Treasure exhibit first. We ended up getting in the Treasure Trove store line first, since yesterday the lines for the stores got bad quickly.
Inside the Treasure Trove store there was plenty of room to navigate and it was also pleasantly not very crowded because very few cam up to the Treasures area first thing. Mik ended up getting the Snow White Book pin and I got a D23 Expo magnet.
The checkout queue was not bad because it was not very long, but it was set up barely wide enough to even turn Mik's wheelchair for the turns.
Destination:
D23 Expo
Anaheim Convention Center
800 West Katella Ave
Anaheim, CA
Friday, August 19, 2011
D23 Expo 2011: First Day Issue Disney Stamps
Date: August 19, 2011
I was excited to learn that the newest Disney stamp sheets were being First Day Issued at the Expo. We did not end up hanging around long enough to even think about lining up for the ceremony, but I did end up buying them, which was more what I wanted anyways. The line was much shorter than the ones for the Disney shops, but it actually moved so slow it at least seemed as long as the one for the Disney Store. It turned out it was pretty much a full service USPS booth, so they were actually packaging and shipping stuff and not just selling the stamps.
I bought a sheet of 20 to go with my collection that includes all the other Disney stamp sheets issued so far. I also ended up getting the D23 Expo First Day Issue envelope featuring the Buzz Lightyear stamp. I debated about getting the stamped envelopes, but liked the D23 Expo ones better and it did not seem worth paying for the whole set. I kind of wanted the stamped postcards, but I only wanted to have one to mail for my postmarked postcard collection and it was not worth buying 19 extra just to do that.
The line itself was accessible, but when we got to the front I ended up leaving Mik off to the side, as he would have blocked the path for others to get to the other counters if they opened up. Not to mention it would have been awkward to get him back out with the minimal space to go through the counter area and since he was not interested in the stamps it did not matter to him to not go to the counter.
Destination:
D23 Expo
Anaheim Convention Center
800 West Katella Ave
Anaheim, CA
I was excited to learn that the newest Disney stamp sheets were being First Day Issued at the Expo. We did not end up hanging around long enough to even think about lining up for the ceremony, but I did end up buying them, which was more what I wanted anyways. The line was much shorter than the ones for the Disney shops, but it actually moved so slow it at least seemed as long as the one for the Disney Store. It turned out it was pretty much a full service USPS booth, so they were actually packaging and shipping stuff and not just selling the stamps.
I bought a sheet of 20 to go with my collection that includes all the other Disney stamp sheets issued so far. I also ended up getting the D23 Expo First Day Issue envelope featuring the Buzz Lightyear stamp. I debated about getting the stamped envelopes, but liked the D23 Expo ones better and it did not seem worth paying for the whole set. I kind of wanted the stamped postcards, but I only wanted to have one to mail for my postmarked postcard collection and it was not worth buying 19 extra just to do that.
The line itself was accessible, but when we got to the front I ended up leaving Mik off to the side, as he would have blocked the path for others to get to the other counters if they opened up. Not to mention it would have been awkward to get him back out with the minimal space to go through the counter area and since he was not interested in the stamps it did not matter to him to not go to the counter.
Destination:
D23 Expo
Anaheim Convention Center
800 West Katella Ave
Anaheim, CA
D23 Expo 2011: Dream Store
Date: August 19, 2011
After getting through the Disney Store at the Expo, we headed over to the Dream Store. The line for this store was much longer just to get in and then was quite ridiculous inside. At first we were regretting not going there first, but it all worked out okay in the end because we still got the pins we wanted.
The Dream Store was technically laid out more roomier to navigate through than the Disney Store, but it was extremely crowded and the line weaved around through it making it way worse to navigate. To browse the store we had to cut across the line. Then to get into the line, we had to cut across twice to find the end. I think they should have been better limited the crowd inside or have better thought out how the line should go around if people are also trying to wander around browsing in the area the line is winding through.
It took us about an hour to just get into the Dream Store. We then soon realized we just needed to get in line because we only wanted pins. Getting through that line took us about 90 minutes. It did seem like forever, but it ended up being worth it because Mik got the pin he really wanted as did I. Mik got the Star Tours Piece of History Pin. I got the Sorcerer Mickey Annual Pass Exclusive D23 Expo pin. We were also pleasantly surprised that we got to save 20% here with out Annual Pass just like when we shop in the parks.
Destination:
D23 Expo
Anaheim Convention Center
800 West Katella Ave
Anaheim, CA
After getting through the Disney Store at the Expo, we headed over to the Dream Store. The line for this store was much longer just to get in and then was quite ridiculous inside. At first we were regretting not going there first, but it all worked out okay in the end because we still got the pins we wanted.
The Dream Store was technically laid out more roomier to navigate through than the Disney Store, but it was extremely crowded and the line weaved around through it making it way worse to navigate. To browse the store we had to cut across the line. Then to get into the line, we had to cut across twice to find the end. I think they should have been better limited the crowd inside or have better thought out how the line should go around if people are also trying to wander around browsing in the area the line is winding through.
It took us about an hour to just get into the Dream Store. We then soon realized we just needed to get in line because we only wanted pins. Getting through that line took us about 90 minutes. It did seem like forever, but it ended up being worth it because Mik got the pin he really wanted as did I. Mik got the Star Tours Piece of History Pin. I got the Sorcerer Mickey Annual Pass Exclusive D23 Expo pin. We were also pleasantly surprised that we got to save 20% here with out Annual Pass just like when we shop in the parks.
Destination:
D23 Expo
Anaheim Convention Center
800 West Katella Ave
Anaheim, CA
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