Its almost Magic. Traveling independently at Disneyland

Two days at Disneyland and California Adventure is a huge navigation challenge for everybody. I question why anyone pays a fortune to put themselves through the chaos. I decided to just enjoy the challenge and not to worry about long lines and the business of herding cats.

I have to admit that I debated whether or not to bring my BrailleNote PK with GPS for the long day walking around Disneyland and it is just under 2 pounds. Fortunately, I opted to bring it, remembering all the points marked by Jamie Adams Murdy and John Gassman some years ago. Trying to use the iPhone with all the Foursquare points is very difficult in such a loud jostling environment. Having a Braille display was very helpful.

Off we went from the hotel to Disneyland this past Saturday. We figured out it was cheaper for the six of us, three blind adults and three kids, to take an Uber XL rather than the hotel shuttle to the park. I made sure when dropped off to note the POI so we could get back to it for the return ride.

The main ticket booths were marked, about 900 feet away. Once we got in the vicinity, there were lots of people as well as our kids to help find the right line, first going through security, then the ticket purchase lines and then the line into the park. Next we set the City Hall POI as the destination in order to get the special audio device that gives information about the rides when you are in their vicinity. As it turned out, you have to give a $25 deposit which you get when you return the device but we were not about to wait another 20 minutes in line just to return the device after a long day. Would be nice if they had a drop box.

As our group decided which rides to go on, I would do a POI search on the name and set it as our destination. We used the Getting Warmer method to find the location. Things like restrooms and restaurants were also marked.

Over the course of 2 days in both parks, I updated the categories of many points and added a few rides that didn’t exist when Jamie and John last recorded these points. Make sure to download the latest USA userpoints should you want to go to Disneyland or if you just want to explore it virtually.

Between the airport, the hotel and the parks, we took 6 Uber rides. The Uber XL vehicles were mostly vans so they fit the 6 of us, plus my dog and our luggage.

The payoff for me was riding California Screamin, which I did 3 times. I was tempted to turn on the PK to get a Replay file of the ride. I hear it goes up to 60 miles per hour. It does go upside down twice.

Probably the most enjoyment I got out of the weekend was being able to help navigate our group and not to just tag along and let the sighted folks do all the navigating. As we like saying, “it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive.”

Mike