The first time he was sixteen and the Make a Wish Foundation contacted him and said there were some empty seats on a chartered flight full of disabled kids who's dreams were to frolic with Donald and Goofy and Cinderella at the happiest place on earth. From the way Bug tells it, it was one whirl-wind trip; fly to LA in the morning, bus to Anaheim, spend the day at Disneyland, bus back to the airport and get home some time around midnight. One day!
The second time Bug had been to Disneyland he was about twenty-one and his then helper (one who wasn't afraid of flight) and he spent a couple of days on their own until Bug's Mom showed up with a friend and the four of them took in the bustling amusement park. Thankfully this was a week long trip, so Bug got to really enjoy all the sights and sounds of what the place could offer.
This trip would be my third time as well to Disneyland. My first venture there was equally as quick as Bug's first time. When I was in my early twenties a friend and I drove from Vancouver to LA. We had one day to spare and that was going to be spent at Disneyland. We got in a friend's vehicle and four of us headed down the rushing highway. On our way the vehicle broke down. Someone, somehow, took transit back to where we were staying, grabbed another vehicle and we arrived on Mickey's doorstep, finally, at 3pm. No worries, they closed late this night, or so we thought. Nope. It turned out that we had only three hours to explore, no dash, no run like crazy people to a handful of attractions.
Several years later I took my son and stepson to Disneyland for a five day adventure. We traveled with their Aunt and cousin. We had a great time and the Aunt confided to me on the flight home, 'I thought I'd have an OK time with the kids, but I had a blast!'
Now it was time for Bug and I to have a Disney experience together. I have a friend who works in the HR department and he got free passes for both theme parks and a deal on one of the on-sight hotels. This made the trip extremely affordable and he was able to join us for several hours each day after his shift, so we had another person to ride the rides with us. Our friend also was curious to see how accessible the rides were going to be. He told us that there is a whole department dedicated to people with disabilities and to making the experience a positive one for every guest who comes to take in the adventures.
The flight to LA was a breeze and just as quickly we were on a shuttle bus headed for the Paradise Pier Hotel.
Out first meal was in Downtown Disney and we ate a Louisiana style restaurant. Bug had the most amazing hamburger and I had a an oyster sandwich. We had to visit this place one more time before going home.Bug and I got into a really nice rhythm for the four days of this trip. We'd go on about four rides in the morning and then leave the grounds for an off-sight lunch as the meals were really expensive at the amusement park.
We'd go back to the hotel for some chill time. I'd lay Bug out on his bed while I downloaded pictures to the computer, updated Facebook and checked e-mail. The rest of the afternoon would be spent lifting him on and off rides and at some point our friend joined us and the three of us usually ate supper together.
We went to a pretty fancy fine-dining restaurant in one of the other Disney hotels for one of our evening meals as our friend really wanted to eat there. Bug isn't a very big eater, but when his meal came he looked at me like 'is this it?' This was the one meal where we had to eat again afterward. We laughed and laughed when we got back to our hotel room about how little the portions were and how much it cost!
There is much more to say about this trip. I haven't told you which was Bug's favorite ride and how I soaked his pants.
Until the next time...
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