Off to See the Mouse.

Ok, so remember when I was all happy and proud of myself for being able to drive up to Fort Worth and spend the night in a hotel?

Well, a month from today, that experience is going to hit graduate-level status when the family and I head to Orlando to spend six days at Disney World.

It’s a trip that I’ve been looking forward to (and has been paid for) for well over a year. I have, in my old age, become somewhat of a Disney adult. The vacations are idiot proof. They take excellent care of their patrons, and there’s very little chance that I’m going to experience any sort of real discomfort.

That’s my kind of a vacation.

Anyway, we’re going for the wedding of two dear friends of ours, and David and I are in the wedding party, so there was no way we wouldn’t be going on this trip.

Still, there’s a lot to think about.

This will be my first plane flight since the surgery, and, while I’m sure I will be fine, there is a little bit of trepidation. Though I’ve called and worked it out with Delta, I am left with one really important question.

What will happen if I have to pee on the plane?

It’s only a two-hour flight, so odds are pretty good I can hold it, but you never know. And, if it becomes an emergency, how will I make it happen?

Now, mind you, I was meant to have my new leg by now. So I thought I’d have adequate time to practice and prepare for this, and it would be no sweat. However, as you well know, I don’t have it yet, and will likely only have had it for a couple weeks by the time we fly, so, you know…

Considerable sweat.

And then, there’s the matter of the park itself, and the hotel experience. I know that DIsney is excellent at these things, but what will I be able to do and not do? What things will I have to sacrifice? Are there rides I can go on, and ones that are just, for now, impossible?

In case you’re wondering, there is a thing that Disney offers called Disability Access Service, or DAS. We had it the last time we went, in 2022, because my mother-in-law had hip replacement surgery, and couldn’t wait in line for long periods of time.

It was a godsend. It allows you to pick a time window at a ride or attraction, and then just return when the time is up. Very little line waiting.

When I called this time, I was told that Disney had modified their pass program, and that I wouldn’t qualify for the DAS, even though my disability now included having lost a foot. The only people who now qualify are those with developmental disabilities, primarily autism.

Now, look, I understand the need for children and parents of children, or just even adults who have severe autism, to not have to wait in line. Becoming disregulated at Disney seems like a terrible way to spend a vacation. However, there is no denying that I have a disability, and that it would be a bit of an inconvenience to wait in line.

I’m sure that’s the spirit of the program.

Still, I’m looking very much forward to the trip for a lot of reasons. I could use a little magic. It always feels amazing to watch David experience that kind of thing, so it’s like double magic. I get to travel with my family and friends, and I get to participate in the wedding of two people I dearly love.

It’s also another challenge. Another hurdle. And I’m both looking forward to seeing how I do, and girding myself for the possibility that it might not, as of right now, be as much as I want to do.

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As always, if you have it in you, please give a thought to donating time or money to Hospice Austin. They do amazing work for people who are going through the hardest thing a person can face.

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