Disney Mediterranean Cruise with Greece: Barcelona Airport/Port Ground Transfers

Arrival - Barcelona Airport to Port Experience

Date of Visit: June 15, 2013

Upon arrival at the airport it was easy to find the Disney Cruise people by baggage claim. They odd thing was that they sent us already out to the bus before even asking if we wanted an alternative option. The buses do not have lifts, but they could make alternative arrangements (sounded like a private vehicle with lift). Since it would have taken half an hour and Dad was with us, Mik choose to have Dad carry him onto the bus and the chair easily fit in the luggage area underneath.

It would have been nicer if they had asked if we wanted an alternative before walking out of the airport like when we checked in Vancouver and had to wait for the bus with lift to arrive. We totally were prepared for an extra wait, but we thought they just happened to already have something there when we were walked out (involves escalator/elevator) with a group to a waiting bus. If we had also realized we would end up at the port before boarding began, but with a high enough number that we ended up just in the all aboard abandoning the group numbers five before ours situation waiting for the transfer at the airport would have been better than at the port. It all still worked out good, just would possibly do it differently in the future.

Departure - Port to Airport Experience

Date of Visit: June 27, 2013

Several days before returning to Barcelona we got a message in our stateroom telling us that a vehicle would be available to take us to the airport at 8:15 a.m. on disembarkment day.  We got off the ship right after breakfast around 7:45 a.m. and they first tried to direct us to the buses.  When we told them we were supposed to have a vehicle with lift they quickly got a taxi around (it is all paid for by Disney when you get buy the ground transfer).  It was just a mini van with lift in the back.  It barely would have been able to seat us four much less our luggage, so Dad and I had to take the bus with luggage and Mom and Mik went in the taxi.  It was kind of inconvenient to have to split up, but they do drop you at same spot when you get there and we were not that far behind leaving the port as they had the buses leaving every ten minutes or so full or not.  However, with the chaoticness of the Barcelona Airport and having to wait for someone to escort us just to go through security with the wheelchair I think we would have been cutting it close if we had left the port at 8:15 a.m.  Of course, that was nothing compared to the back and forth in circles that happened to us when we got to Miami.

Disney Mediterranean Cruise with Greece: Disney Magic Stateroom 7138

Date of Visit: June 15-27, 2013

We knew the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder had some differences, but we sure did not expect that stateroom 7138 would be any different on the Magic than when we were on the Wonder in Alaska.  For the most part it is exactly the same.  The size and layout is the same.  However, there is one huge difference.  There is no grab bar that comes down on the side of the toilet like Mik loved on the Magic since it was half like how his old bathroom had one on each side of the toilet.  Not only is there no grab bar to come down, but the only grab bar by the toilet is behind it.  How useful is that?  Hopefully, when the Magic goes in for its upgrades this September that is one of the things that will be changed.

Deluxe Studio at Disney's Saratoga Springs

Date of Visit: March 4-9, 2013

Since we usually end up eating in the parks anyways and there were even more food things Mik wanted to try at the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival this trip, we thought we would try a studio for the first time instead of a one bedroom like we have done every other time at a DVC resort.  Plus, we used our points this year to get a concierge level one for the 2014 marathon and did not want to borrow much from 2014.



Entering the rooms they have mats that are a nice thought, but rather annoying with the wheelchair.  Actually, not so fun for stepping on either with the spiky style.  I suppose you could move it aside, although I wonder if it would just be put right back in place every day.



The bathroom was good.  Mik actually surprised me in that he was able to use the toilet on his own when we left him in the room one day, which he often cannot do with the raised toilets.  The shower was good as a roll in and holding the shower head to use.  For standing under it, though, it was worn out and kept sliding down to spray pretty much back at the wall instead of out or straight down.

The kitchenette area was pretty functional.  The microwave was perfect for Mik, since he tends to just crawl around when in the room.  He actually used it to make his first ever quesadilla made all by himself.

The deluxe studio has one standard bed and one sofa bed.  The room gets extremely crowded when the sofa bed is out, although it was better to just leave it out than deal with the annoyance it was to take it out in the first place.

The oddest thing about the room, though, is that it has a closet next to the bed.  You can barely walk sidestep between the bed and the wall to get to it much less have it actually accessible to someone in a wheelchair.  At least there is an easy to access closet in the entry, though.

Our conclusion is next time we will stick to our usual of a one bedroom or even a standard hotel room at the All Star value resorts.  The microwave was nice, but even the All Star resort we had just stayed at had mini fridges and the actual bed is so much more preferable than the annoying sofa bed.  However, Mik and I did decide it would not be so bad if it was just the two of us, as we would not need to fold the sofa out and it would be roomier than a hotel room then.  However, the inability to override the thermostat at Saratoga Springs does not make me likely to choose it again, as kept being too cold during our stay (it was very cold for Florida standards this trip) and I imagine it is too hot other times of the year.

Destination Info:

Disney's Saratoga Springs
1960 Broadway

Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830

Beach at Aulani

Date of Visit: October 1, 2012

The beach was one of the few things Mik was interested in checking out at Aulani.  There is a beach wheelchair you can borrow to use on the beach.  It makes it easier, although it still takes a lot of muscle to move it and it did not have any working belts to strap in.



At the beach we built some sand castles.  Dad was supposed to help Mik build a castle, but he ended up building on in the shape of a Mickey for him instead of building with Mik and what Mik wanted.  Thus, I decided to add a Sorcerer Hat to it since it was not Mik's anymore anyways.  I also built a Sorcerer Hat one.

Mik had a lot of fun destroying my Sorcerer Hat, which I let him do when he was crawling back to the sand wheelchair.

Destination Info:

Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa

Ko Olina, Hawai'i

92-1185 Ali'inui Drive

Kapolei, HI 96707

Aulani Three Bedroom Grand Villa

Date of Visit: September 28 - October 4, 2012

We booked a one-bedroom accessible villa for our stay at Aulani, but at check-in we were surprised to hear that we were in a 3-bedroom Grand Villa.  It ended up being an amazing upgrade, as the villa is huge and it still has one of the bedrooms designed accessible along with the kitchen having lower counters than normal

 

Bedroom with Lower (i.e more accessible) King Bed - Room Mik claimed before even realizing the bathroom was accessible

Toilet in Accessible Room

 

Butt Cleaning Controls with Toilet in Accessible Room

 

 Accessible Shower, although no seat

 

Tub in Accessible Room

  

Laundry Closet

 

Entryway by Accessible Room

 

Other Master Bedroom with 2 Queen Beds - Mom and Dad's Room

 

Bathroom in Other Master Bedroom - Shower Only

 

Kitchen

 

Dining Room Table

 

Bar Seating in Kitchen

 

Living Room Area - Couch Folds Out

 

Main Entryway near Living Room

 

Awesome Desk Lamp - Each Room has one

 

Third Bedroom with Two Queen Beds - Kj's Room

Third Bathroom with Tub/Shower

 

Huge Porch that with Five Separate Doors Out to It - One from each bedroom, one from living room, and one from dining area

 

View of Pool Area from Grand Villa Porch

 

View of Ocean before Sunrise from our Porch

View of Ocean

Destination Info:

Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa

Ko Olina, Hawai'i

92-1185 Ali'inui Drive

Kapolei, HI 96707

Walt Disney World: Epcot - Innoventions Videogame Playground

Date of Visit: May 29, 2012

Mik loves video games and even though he had the sports video games playable in the Videogame Playground at Innoventions he enjoyed spending some time playing them.  It is also a good place to cool down or escape the rain while getting a console video game fix on vacation. 

Destination Info:
Epcot - Innoventions
Lake Buena Vista, FL

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park: Mission San Jose

Date of Visit: May 27, 2012

Mission San Jose was the mission we spent the most time at while visiting the different missions that are part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.  While we were not able to go inside the actual church part of the mission due to an event going on, unlike Mission San Juan there still was plenty to walk around and see.


The paths around the Mission are paved and there are ramps for getting down in the area near the back of the church.  It was not exactly enjoyable to walk/roll around and visit, as it was a typical hot summer day.  However, it was still interesting to be able to see how it really was a community and military fortress, since this is the most preserved/restored of the missions.  One area you could go in interested Mik the post, as you could see out the holes for guns.

Destination Info:
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park - Mission San Jose
150 Woodhill
San Antonio, TX 78214