My handicapped travel guide to Disney's Animal Kingdom Park in Orlando, Florida
I'm starting this blog with a small disclaimer: Animal Kingdom Park is NOT my cup of tea. Don't fear; this Handicapped Travel Guide still contains a lot of helpful information. I share my successes and struggles as a wheelchair user and list the accessibility of all the rides and attractions in Animal Kingdom.
If you haven't read my Handicapped Travel Guide to Magic Kingdom, click here.
If you want to read my Handicapped Travel Guide to Hollywood Studios, click here.
Preparing for my trip:
Our Disney trip was cold and rainy. I prepared as best as possible (see my blogs on Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios on how), but Mother Nature bested us. I purchased a Bramble waterproof wheelchair poncho (click the link to go to my Amazon Storefront) that kept my wheelchair and me dry, BUT frigid temperatures were an issue.
The weather forecast predicted temperatures in the mid-50s (Fahrenheit), so I packed accordingly. It was ten degrees colder, and I quickly realized I hadn't packed enough warm clothes. Because I'm a wheelchair user, I'm not expending a lot of energy to heat my own body. Yes, my arms and chest were quite toasty. However, from the waist down, I was freezing. I had to buy extra socks and a blanket in Animal Kingdom to stay warm. And you know what that means - $$$!
My struggles at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park:
I've already highlighted the following struggles in my other posts. Hop over and read them in detail.
Public bathrooms.
Dehydration.
Exhaustion
The public.
Inclement weather.
Lack of accessibility. I will go into this more at the end of my blog.
These struggles are new to Animal Kingdom Park:
Food. Food is a broad subject, so let me define my issues. Animal Kingdom Park opens VERY early. I live with a chronic illness, and I'm NOT a morning person/early riser. If the occasion calls for it, I will jump out of bed and get on with my day. The morning we went to Animal Kingdom, it poured rain, so we slept in and wandered into the park around 11 AM after the sky let up a bit. While preparing for my trip, I saw that Animal Kingdom had some lovely bakeries, and I wanted to start my day with a fresh pastry and hot drink. Well, many of the bakeries close at 11 am (my fault for not taking notice, but my question is WHY? The parks are open until nightfall, and I know I'm not the only one who would eat a croissant after 11 am). The open food stalls were already picked over and out of most things, including croissants, hot cocoa, and hot tea at 11 AM. Again, I asked why? Why is a Disney Park running out of food so early in the day? My other food issues were the lack of options. You can get BBQ pretty much everywhere in this park, which is boring. And the places that had some variety tended to have weird selections. Take the Satu'li Canteen, for instance. We split an order of cheeseburger steamed pods, which was an interesting concept but not very good. All Disney parks are big, but finding food in this one was exhausting. Eat breakfast before you go and pack a snack so you don't get hangry!
Shopping. Because it was freezing, I needed to find some warmer gear. I needed socks, gloves, a hat, and a blanket. And I know what you're thinking - I sound like a complete idiot who didn't prepare for their trip. But I'm talking about extra layers of socks, gloves, and hats. Yes, I was that cold! It took forever for us to find anything. It was January, and I assumed stores would have warmer, seasonal items in stock. They either didn't have them or had such a limited quantity that they sold out. It took a lot of pecking and hunting to get what we needed. Having a disability means overpacking on all trips. Now I know I need to double down and over-overpack!
Bumpy rides. And I don't mean the rollercoasters! The streets/walkways in Animal Kingdom are constructed to look authentic to the country you are in. They have bumps and cracks and animal prints embedded in them. It makes for rough terrain in your wheelchair.
My successes at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park:
Like the other parks, bus transportation was very easy and convenient. We got a bus to ourselves on the way home because we ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe and left after the park closed.
I learned more about using my manual wheelchair in inclement weather. For instance, blankets and muddy, wet wheels don't mix. Bring a blanket that you're not afraid to ruin.
I was able to experience a few new rides and attractions, which brings us to the fun part ...
The accessibility of rides, attractions, and shows at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park -
Wheelchair & ECV accessible attractions and shows:
Character experiences (meeting Mickey, Minnie, and more)
Streetmosphere/Street Bands (live entertainment and music performances)
Animal Encounters & Exhibits
It's Tough to be a Bug!
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue and Beyond
Feathered Friends in Flight!
Festival of the Lion King
Animal Encounters: Winged Encounters - The Kingdom Takes Flight
Wheelchair accessible: (these rides allow you to stay in a wheelchair. You must transfer from a scooter/ECV to a wheelchair. Disney has these chairs on standby for your use.)
Kilimanjaro Safaris.
Must transfer from scooter/ECV and wheelchair to ride:
Dinosaur (*read safety and health warnings before attempting to ride)
Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
Avatar Flight of Passage (must transfer from scooter/ECV to wheelchair, then transfer to ride.)
Na'vi River Journey
Kali River Rapids
Must be ambulatory:
None - though you could argue that all the rides that require you to transfer from scooter/ECV and wheelchair to ride are Must Be Ambulatory Rides if you are unable to transfer.
Other things to know:
Disney has a Disability Access Service (DAS) for guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time. It doesn't allow immediate access to experiences, but allows guests to request a return time for a specific experience that is comparable to the current standby wait. Contact Disney to apply.
No, I have not applied for Disney's DAS services. While I am disabled and have an intolerance to extreme heat and extreme cold and experience sensory overload, I don't feel that I need Disney's Disability Access Services at this time.
Communicate your needs to attraction attendants. For example: I can only walk a few steps to get onto the rides, so they made sure I could pull my wheelchair close enough to the ride to transfer in and out safely. They also stopped the people movers so I didn't trip or stumble when getting on certain rides.
Like Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom is less accessible than Magic Kingdom Park. To recap: there are eight (8) rides in Magic Kingdom that allow you to stay in your wheelchair, one (1) in Animal Kingdom, and zero (0) in Hollywood Studios. Animal Kingdom is mostly comprised of street shows, animal encounters, and theatre performances. It's my least favorite park because it's a zoo (literally and figuratively) without all the benefits of an actual zoo. The only way to see most of the animals is to go on Kilimanjaro Safari, which is a quick ride. Half the time, the animals aren't even out and about. People tend to act like animals in this park. It's crazy, crowded, and chaotic. As I said with Hollywood Studios, it would be nice if they made more family-friendly rides in this park. For instance: why not have a 101 Dalmations ride similar to The Adventures of Whinnie the Poo in Magic Kingdom? Or a Jungle Book ride similar to It's a Small World? Having said that, the thing I like most about this park is the theatre shows. Watching Finding Nemo and Festival of the Lion King was a joy. Both are indoors, so you get a reprieve from the weather, and they're accessible - no need to transfer from your mobility aid.
I hope this Handicapped Travel Guide helps you plan your Disney vacation. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm always happy to help. Speaking of which, don't forget to follow me on social media. Links to all of my outlets are located on my home page. My next blog post will cover Epcot, so stay tuned!!!
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