This past week, Lyle and I flew to Florida. Considering the below freezing temperatures back in Alberta, this was a good move on our part. The weather in Orlando was exceptionally pleasant and the main reason for our trip. However, we also visited the Disney Theme Parks. There are four of these – Magic Kingdom, Disney Studios, EPCOT and Wild Animal Kingdom. We had been to the first three nearly twenty years ago but wild Animal Kingdom was new to us.
Magic Kingdom is the park which features
the Disney cartoon characters and there are multiple rides and attractions. I
think that Lyle and I were a little disappointed in the day we spent there. The
park is definitely geared to families and young children and that was part of
our memories of our previous visit. We did enjoy seeing a presentation titled Hall
of Presidents with a voice narration by Denzel Washington. This
presentation was very well done.
There were crowds of people on the day we
went to Disney Studios. This park is smaller and with the throngs of people,
and some unexpected steps and curbs, I found getting around required a bit more
concentration. This was our least favourite park.
Lyle and I both liked EPCOT. Walt Disney
and his team gave the park this name standing for the Experimental Prototype
Community of Tomorrow. While the attractions and displays don’t quite keep
up with the rapid technological advances of today, Lyle and I did notice some
changes from our last visit there. At this point, I want to say a special hello
to Shannon. Lyle and I were sitting in the same row as Shannon and her parents
in Ellen’s Energy World. Shannon and I were both using our white canes. So, Shannon
if you are reading or listening to this, a special hello to you in Ontario from
me now back in Alberta.
My favourite of the Disney Theme Parks was
definitely Wild Animal Kingdom. I can recommend it for several reasons. First,
it was constructed with accessibility in mind and secondly, apart from the
business aspect, its prime function is conservation an preservation of the
environment.
Wild Animal Kingdom is very well done and
seemed to have something for everyone. Lyle liked the roller coaster ride in
Asia enough to do it twice. I knew my limits and stayed on a bench near the
entryway for this. I liked the safari ride. Although I couldn’t really see the
elephants, giraffes, monkeys, and others, our guide was informed and
informative. I learned a lot.
For both Lyle and myself, our favourite
attraction was a performance of Simba, the Lion King. We were specially
seated in a section reserved for people with disabilities. During the
performance, the actors came very close to where we were sitting. It was great.
When the action took place in the more distant centre of the arena, I was able
to watch two extremely talented signers translating the words for the hearing impaired.
All in all, I found the staff at this park to be exceptionally courteous and
totally aware of the significance of my white cane. The planners of this park
got it right and the present day management is continuing to do the right thing
for those of us who live with a disability.
The Lion King is such a wonderful story and the play we saw in Ontario was excellent. Enjoyed reading about your trip but now you are back to reality - Alberta winters!
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