This week we have the wonderful Donna who shares her perfect day at Walt Disney World with her family.

First things first, what time are you waking up, how and where are you?

Wake up in the Wilderness Lodge at around 7 am. It always takes us a while to get up as myself and husband have to help Nathan and Cerys with all personal care and dressing.

We are in, what is referred to as an accessible room which means it is designed for people with disabilities. The fact that hotels seem to think only adults have  disabilities does create some problems for us – for example if it is a room with a double bed and a bunk bed myself and Cerys would use the double bed, Nathan on the lower bunk, and Andre on the top as there is no way either of our youngsters could get up on to the top bunk! In some ways a suite is better as it gives us more room, however as we will only be using the room as a base the extra money it would cost is better spent in the parks!

Who is with you and are you a planner?

Husband Andre

Son Nathan 23

Daughter Cerys 16

Andre and I do all the planning between us – it is a joint effort. We feel it is essential for us to do as much planning as possible, not just to utilise the time we have, but also to ensure that the energy Nathan and I will use to get around is consumed as efficiently as possible.

I should explain that both Nathan and Cerys are full time wheelchair users. Whilst Andre will be pushing Cerys, Nathan will be using his ‘e-motion’ wheels (wheels that attach to his manual chair that have a battery in them and so gave him a greater force when he propels). I have a complex cardiac condition that means I can get tired easily & and have to ensure that I keep my fluid intake up.

Now it’s breakfast time, what are you eating?

We take the boat (some are accessible) over to Magic Kingdom where we have breakfast at Cinderella’s castle with the Princesses. Cerys, in particular, loves this. Nathan pretends he isn’t bothered – but we can see he is quite enjoying the attention! The food is nice and are all given the gift of a star with ‘Wishing Star’ on it and a wand for the girls and a sword for the boys.

Okay, so it’s time to head off to the parks, which one are you heading to and how are you getting there? Are you doing anything on the way?

As we are already in Magic Kingdom we decide to spend the day there.

You’re in! Whats the first thing you do?

After coming out of the breakfast we first head to the Barber’s shop, walking back along Main Street, where Cerys’ hair is sprinkled with ‘pixie dust’ because our next stop is a Character meeting with Tinkerbelle which we have booked in advance with our Fast Pass.

On the way we watch the Main Street Trolley show, listening to the happy tunes which seem to match the bright sunshine and delighting in the nifty choreography. One of the dancers stops to admire Cerys’ hat and shake her hand.

Whats on your hit list for the morning?

We first meet Tinkerbelle and then follow it with a meeting with Mickey Mouse. Heading back up Main Street we stop to watch and then take part in ‘Move it, Shake it’ – dancing with different characters including Baloo and Frozone. Jessy from Toy story spots Cerys and comes to say hello.

We don’t really do a lot of rides, but a favourite is Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger spin, so we make an effort to go over to Tomorrowland. As always, the Cast Members are very helpful and even allow us a 2^nd go without having to queue again. Whilst there we also stop to watch the Incredibles characters parading around.

Following on from that we head back to the Castle to view Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire.

It’s lunch time where are you eating and what are you ordering?

Large breakfast – so late, light lunch Liberty Square Market where we share a couple of turkey legs.

One thing I must mention is that Disney doesn’t have any ‘Changing Places’ toilets. These are toilets that contain a hoist and a changing bench as well as the usual toilet with bars. We don’t specifically need one as both Nathan & Cerys can do standing transfers, but I do know many families who do, and it would be fantastic if Disney could install them so that everyone can enjoy the magic of Disney.

Whats on the plan for the afternoon?

We make our way to the parade viewing area for people with disabilities to watch Disney Festival of Fantasy parade. Despite it being an area designated for people with disabilities, it is still a good idea to get there well ahead of time in order to get a good view. During the parade Grumpy comes across to shake Nathan’s hand, which we find highly amusing, as, on occasion, Nathan is known to be ‘grumpy’!

We then walk over to Frontierland where Cerys & Daddy have a Fastpass for Splash Mountain. Myself and Nathan sit that one out. Cerys and Andre return, wet but happy and we take a slow walk back to Fantasyland.

There we go to meet the Princesses at Princess Fairytale Hall. When we arrive it is Cinderella and Elena. Both are lovely with Cerys, sitting down so that they are level with her in her wheelchair, and once again, I am thankful for the many photo opportunities we have to capture the magic of this holiday. I am also grateful for the lovely photos taken by the Photopass Photographers. Once Cerys has met Cinderella, she moves on to Elena. Meanwhile, Nathan is trying to sneak down the side so he doesn’t hold up the line of young children eager to meet the Princesses – suddenly we hear a voice say “And who is this handsome Prince?” Cinderella has followed him and insists he has his photo taken with her!

After this we wander over to Mickey’s Philharmagic. Again, one of our favourite shows at Disney.

We stop to visit Winnie the Pooh and Tigger and then we finish this part of our day by going to see Enchanted Tales with Belle.

What Disney snack are you getting to get rid of the 3pm twangs?

Drinks to keep our fluid levels up are the most important things for us to consume.

The parade has been, night is falling, what MUST you get a picture of in the dark?

The Castle, always the magical, fairytale Castle.

Whats on your evening plans?

Pinocchio Village Haus for a quick tea.

We then rush to get a good viewing area for the Happily Ever After fireworks. We all watch fascinated by the picture projected on the Castle, the music and the spectacular fireworks.

Following on from the fireworks we stop to watch Once Upon a Time at the Castle, and, again enjoy the Disney characters and music projected on to the castle. This is the perfect ending to the day before we catch the boat back to our hotel.

What did you buy today?

Thumper because he just looked so cute on the shelf – he jumped straight into my arms!

We also always buy at least one pin, related to that Park and something we did or saw there, to remember that particular day

Whats the last thing you do before you say goodnight?

Look at some of our photos

We will then spend some time preparing for the next day. Although we will go to a different park the following day, generally we visit each park twice in a 2 week stay. Unfortunately we don’t travel very fast so, once we have talked about our favourite parts of the day, we discuss what we will do on our return visit.

My (our) blog is about our lives as a mum with a complex cardiac condition, a young man who is a university student who is also a full time wheelchair user, a very creative young lady who is a full time wheelchair user and a dad who is a saint! We strive to show the reality but also the fun that we have.

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