Lenkaland

Episode 17 Show Notes

We’re back!  The two week family vacation was a wonderful, exciting trip.  We sure learned a lot.  We used a lot of technology to make the trip better.  My birthday present was a Garmin GPS.  The GPS was a great resource, not only for the maps.  It can search for nearby gas stations, restaurants, and more.  You can use search fields to find specific places.  We did learn a lesson about traveling with tech.  Always have backups.  On our first day of driving, our GPS froze up on the GARMIN screen.  If we hadn’t had backups of our hotel reservations, we could have really gotten lost.  We also bought the GPS through the mail, so when it died, we couldn’t return it anywhere.

In Vegas, we used Google Maps on our Android phones to find a Costco near Vegas.  Buying at a Costco gives us room to return it if that error happens again.  Turns out that error is a known problem, and an update for the new GPS downloaded within a week of buying it.  The Garmin Nuvi1490T has crisp resolution and easy navigation.  A fun feature is that you can choose your vehicle, including a horse and a pirate ship, and narrator’s voice.

The dedicated GPS helps with accessible travel because it allows you to plan effectively and find resources when you need them.  You can find pharmacies easily.  Added features take the stress out of travel, which is good for everyone.  The Garmin gives traffic updates.  It will route you around traffic snarls.  It advises lane choices so you don’t have an offramp sneak up on you.  When directions go awry, you can blame the machine instead of each other

Really, most of the directions are perfect.  We were led to a few phantom-locations where the gas station must have closed.  There are updates that will continue to keep information as current as possible.

We also used our Netbook, the Nook, and Android Apps to make the trip easier.

We found Vegas without a problem.  Vegas was a fun and challenging adventure.  Luckily, we asked for a room near the elevator.  Nothing could have prepared me for the scale of Vegas.  The halls, the casinos, the pedestrian bridges were all bigger than life.  It took ten minutes to walk to the pool.  We stayed in a hotel that looked next-door to my brother’s hotel on a map.  Getting there though involved a couple of elevators and a pedestrian bridge.

Las Vegas is very prepared for wheelchairs and scooters (except for the one time the pedestrian bridge elevator was broken without any alternate way down).  There were plenty of ramps and accessable features.  For mobility challenges, not so much.  Arriving at the hotel, we found a long snaking line to check into our room.  I asked an employee if we could get a return-time ticket so I could sit down.  No such thing.  I ended up sitting on an upturned suitcase by a wall.  Not a bench in sight.

Another time, with a buffet, I tried to go sit while my husband waited in line.  The buffet wait was anywhere from an hour or longer.  No one had any plans for mobility challenges.  There are five-star, diamond club, exclusive VIP lines that are noticeably shorter, but those are not for disability access. So I took the kids to go sit somewhere.  We crossed the casino floor.  Found the lobby.  Nothing.  End of the day and I was painfully-tired.  So I sat against a wall out of the way.  Ian soon found a ramp that he ran up with a happy squeal.  I clambered to my feet (not a graceful business- getting up from the ground is an increasing challenge) and ran after him.

He stood in the middle of a fancy bar with soft-light tables.  The bouncer walked toward me with a what are you thinking letting your child run wild? expression.  Sorry, I know.  I grabbed Ian’s hand and convinced him that down the ramp was awesome, too.  I gathered up Anika and plopped Ian in the stroller and walked back.  We saw a lovely dance performance on top of the slot machines.

And rejoined the line.  Waited 45 minutes to pay.  And then they were full.  So we waited again.  Another 20 minutes where I sat against the wall.

I believe the lack of benches anywhere is to highlight all of the nice seating by the slot machines.  But when you have two kids, that convenience is irrelevant.  So a few challenges.

But we loved the spectacle of it all.  My favorite was the Conservatory in the Bellagio.  Glass flowers and real-flower arrangements create an oversize garden scene.  Photos will be posted soon.

Then we went to San Diego and Disneyland.  We had a great trip to Disneyland.  Disney has worked hard to make the park accessible.  There are wheelchairs and scooters available to rent for a fee.  We visited Downtown Disney the evening before.  We stayed at the Tropicana hotel right across the street from the park, which was perfect.  A few years ago, we stayed in a hotel where we had a shuttle.  The shuttle dropped us off almost exactly where the Tropicana hotel was located.

After Vegas, the scale of Downtown Disney felt downright cozy.  The stores are close together.  Benches are everywhere, hurrah.  We could rest anytime we wanted.  Lots of eating choices and of course entertaining stores for the kids.  Good stuff.

Our first stop inside Disneyland park was Guest Services.  I had a discouraged feeling because the line was long.  But it moved quickly.  Disney uses stamps to give accommodations.  I had a stamp that allowed me to use wheelchair entrances and avoid stairways in lines.  I have not researched all of the stamps, but I’m sure resources online could share more about specific stamps.  For me, the accomodations made all the difference.

We had a kid-centered day.  Peter Pan, Small World, the Tiki Room.  No big roller coasters for us, which is fine.  The older rides are actually easier for me.  With those, you enter through the exit.  You still wait.  It’s a myth that you go on first.  Usually there is one car on the circuit for the accessible line.  The wait is often shorter.  But I don’t expect a shorter wait.  I don’t mind waiting.  It’s the switchbacks winding lines that exhaust me.  The newer rides are built to accommodate wheelchairs, so everyone goes through the same entrance.  I saw a gentleman on a scooter negotiating around those windy curves.  He was doing fine, but it would have made me nervous.

So we like the old rides (they’re my favorites anyway).  We take a lot of breaks.  There are shaded places to eat or watch shows.  We had a fantastic day.

Except for when we went to Mickey’s house, which didn’t mention a line.  And we didn’t see a Disney cast member to ask about what we were getting ourselves into.  So we thought we’d let the kids play in there.  But we went through room after room and each time we thought this is the last room and, surprise!  Another room.  And people in the line were getting grumpier.  I suppose that Mickey was at the end for a picture.  We never found out because we escaped through the first Exit we saw.

The day was so much fun.  Anika talks and talks about the adventures.  Well worth the planning and next-day exhaustion.

And stay for the fireworks

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