My husband and daughter convinced me to rent a wheelchair for the day. Not only did this make it easier for me to get around, it gave me an entirely different perspective on being disabled. Some people, mostly teens and those in their early twenties, ignored me. They walked right in front of the chair, and then glared when we bumped into them. The children smiled more because I was at their eye level, especially the ones in strollers. The wheelchair was also handy for letting Zac sit in my lap when he got tired, but pushing it was hard on Michael's arms since he wasn't accustomed to it. I would consider the electric ones if you need a wheel chair. They are bigger and bulkier, but people are more likely to move out of your way and you don't have to have someone push you around.
We spent the day going from ride to ride trying to find a line that was short enough so that Rylan wouldn't start crying and Zac would be willing to wait. There weren't many to meet the criteria. We had carefully tried to design the day to reduce stress and keep the children from becoming overly tired, but it was a wasted effort. Also adding to our frustration, where we had been given the opportunity to go to a shorter line when I used my cane, we were told we should wait in the normal lines when I was in a wheel chair. I'm not sure if this is a normal practice or just when there are heavier crowds.
About 3:00 PM we left the wheel chair at the gate and returned to our hotel for a nap and dinner. We wanted to get back in time to find a good spot for the parade. Since the parade was to start at 7:00, we wanted to be in our spot by 6:30. The shuttle back to the hotel was the best thing we had ridden all day.
