Anyone can make lemonade when life gives you lemons. We are here to talk about how carry on when life forgets to even give you the lemons. Living with a disability can make things feel impossible, but at imaginary lemons, we believe in living life with determination + creativity + style.
Aadam is a C2-C7 incomplete quadriplegic who uses a Whill Model C to explore the world around him, alongside his wife, Brooke. Exploring the world in a wheelchair can be fun.
Check out Aadam's chair (the latest model): amzn.to/3VBxIvx
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Thank you for the informative video. It's too late to really reschedule my cruise to Lookout Cay. But now at least I know to bring a foldable walker instead of my mobility scooter for the beach day. Or just don't get off the ship for that port stop. Sadly there are so many people that can't switch to a walker or a cane and want to enjoy a beach day. I'm so sorry that this happened to you.
This is horrible! I am so sorry that Disney completely dropped the ball for this entire island 😞 I hope you’re able to find an actually accessible island to visit
Disney’s other island castaway Cay is more accessible. The fact that they did not take notes from the other one is frustrating. A lot of the walkways were wide and the ramps going down to the sand. We’re not very steep and gradual. But as you see in the videos, they just end at the end of the ramp. hopefully in the next couple months, they will get beach wheelchairs, and beach mats to help us get to the water easier.
Disney I’m sure hired local builders and contractors so our ADA requirements may be very different than theirs. I am surprised the designers weren’t more aware of the needs of a person in a wheelchair. I would hope that comp you something for your inconvenience. No beach wheelchairs or beach carpets to allow you to go to waters edge seems exclusionary. Flies are nasty, with the heat, lack of covered spaces and that long pier I don’t think I will ever go there. The fly problem is a result of poor waste management and dead or decaying organic matter. And to make it that distance to the ship must be some really really nasty mess there.
I would most definitely agree with you to say they hired local builders, but 95% of the people going to the island would be from the states. The lack of beach wheelchairs and beach carpet is a major oversight. The fact that they said that they would have them and didn’t makes it even worse. We currently don’t have a trip scheduled to lookout , will keep her ear out for any updates that come our way. The fact that they did it halfway makes it even worse.
Thank you both for sharing a detailed video on the state of accessibility at Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. It's so disappointing and frustrating that Disney continues to not offer any beach wheelchairs (we've heard they have none coming until a few months from now, which is honestly, unacceptable) and that there are so many accessible details that weren't consider with actual wheelchair accessible needs in mind. It boggles the mind that they can't get some loaner beach wheelchairs from Castaway Cay in the meantime, because it means so many people are missing out on the new island. Thank you for continuing to keep us posted on this & sharing honest thoughts on the new island.
We love Disney, just like you guys 😃 and when they drop the ball so spectacularly, it is disappointing. Some things on the island most definitely did not have someone in a wheelchair actually go through it. As I was talking to Brooke the other day being part of and thinking about accessibility and actually having someone who is in wheelchair are two different things. For example, the drink station was out of reach for anyone in the wheelchair. Someone else would have to reach up to get ice and or drink for the person. Hopefully over the next couple months they will get things settled.
I sure hope things have improved since this. 😟
In terms of accessibility, no, the fly situation has improved some. -A
@@Imaginary.Lemons wow! That’s crazy considering when the opening of the island was.
Any update on what they are doing about his chair? Had my wife and I payed to go on this cruse I would be having a long conversation with Disney management. Now don’t get me wrong we love Disney. However recent times has been telling me Disney dose not like the disabled who are not kids.
I am sorry to say that there is still no update, the chair is no longer in Florida, it is in Chicago, Illinois. Rest assured once we have finalized update for it we will make a video. I really didn’t want to make a video of the correspondence back-and-forth with GRG. It is frustrating that the chair sits so long as we have an AirTag on it I have pictures and screenshots ofthe chair sitting Day after day.
Ya looks like painters/inspection tape
The blue stuff is probably inspection tape. You use it to mark small things the contractors should finish or fix before you agree they have done the project adequately. It is generally removed as each task is finished. So either their contractors didn’t fix it, or no-one removed the tape durinq final inspections. In this case it might be finishing details like mudding the nail holes to prevent corrosion.
😂, I guess my form of humor didn’t come through. As I go back and look at the video, I was thinking more of painters tape for edging and not inspection areas. -A
Your explanation is very interesting! 😎-B
Can you recommend a Disney resort that fits ECVs in the room? It was tight on our last trip at Riverside. We are on a budget
Did you request an accessible room? All of the accessible rooms at Disney can fit an ECV. The all star resorts, (All Star music and All Star sports )do give you some good options. Depending on which one you choose, you will have options in terms of getting to the parks. In my opinion, Pop century will be the better option as it has access to the Skyliner. And as you have seen from our other videos, 😃 they have a separate Skyliner cab for ECV and wheelchairs. All stars will have only bus transportation.-A
@Imaginary.Lemons we did. Our accessible rm had a roll in shower. No storage space at all. Fitting ecv in the room was tight had to move a bed closer to the night stand. It had to be backed in. A nightmare every night getting it in. Complained to disney, they are looking into it
Hi! Was the balcony nice? I see a ramp and wonder if it is difficult to hang out there.
It was nice outside. I did have to move one of the lounge chairs to the side to maneuver out there. The wooden ramp outside did need to be pushed closer to the door as it moved slightly. Brooke said it was easy to move. -A
THANK YOU SO MUCH For making this video! We're bringing my mother in law with us, and we will be new at navigating accessibility in public! Your video is easing A LOT of my nerves and stress, thank you thank you!!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks we had fun making this. Once you study the tricks it will help you be less stressed. MK is the best(according to Brooke) 😅 we try to show everyone can have fun. -A
Great video and so informative!
Magic Kingdom is the Most iconic park of all of the Walt Disney World parks. There’s something about it that people just love. Riding the rides and staying for the fireworks is a must do when visiting them. -A
Good job! Looks like fun🎉
It was! But there were some issues.
Here's an animal... BULL. My wife and I were there a year ago and Animal Kingdom is the most wheelchair UNFRIENDLY park in Disney, if not Florida. In an effort to look "native" the park designers stamped all sorts of things into all the paths: animal tracks, leaves, bicycle trails, footprints, etc., all of which are a nightmare for wheelchair wheels. It was the roughest and most difficult time we ever had with her chair.
Thanks for letting us know. I’m sorry you guys had a bad time on your last visit. I use a power chair and did not notice. the focus of this video was on the rides themselves. What kind of chair were you guys using? I would imagine manual chair would have a rougher time. We will try to keep that in mind for our future videos to let people know and be aware of ground and routes between the rides. -A
#first😂
#first😂
Fun fact! If you're on a ride that breaks down, and you are in a wheelchair, a lot of times, they will call the Disneyland Fire Department, to expertly get you out of the ride - this usually happens if the ride can't be powered on immediately (long complex rides like rise of the resistance or indiana jones). So glad you got to wait out the ride with (hopefully) no issues :D
Thanks for the info. That’s really good to know. For us the process was fairly painless but that was our first time being evacuated. I was wondering what happens if they can’t power it back on like they did.
You guys are hilarious! Crush turtle soup! Thank you! 😂
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it!
Love that you both had your own "choose your own adventure" day! Can't believe someone tried to buy your stormtrooper bucket! Brooke, we feel the same way about Animator's Palate. It's SO not our favorite food wise or theme wise. Glad at least the food was better this second visit. I (Sarah) love that pudding cake you got. The crunchy walnut base is really good! Looking forward to seeing more (but we're already cringing knowing what's ahead with Lookout Cay 😳).
Thank you! As I was editing, I considered adding a delusional statement counter for every wishful thing I said that turned out to be very, very wrong about Lookout Cay! 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️ - Brooke
Thank you! These videos are awesome. My mom had a stroke this year, and can’t walk far, or stand for long time periods. But, she’s cleared to travel, and we don’t want her to miss this experience with her grandkids. So new to figuring out how to navigate what she can do in a scooter there, so these videos are very helpful!!
You are so welcome! Disney is very scooter friendly and the lines that don't allow scooters will have wheelchairs you can borrow to push her. I hope you have any amazing trip!
Can you guys make a video about navigating through the airport and getting on and off the plane etc.?
That's a great idea! We'll add that to our list!
@@Imaginary.Lemonsawesome! It was actually my mom’s idea. We watch your channel together and get great tips and invaluable info on traveling which makes my mom feel safer, more confident, and opens doors for more exciting travel with her mobility challenges.
Gotta love a cruise embarkation vlog! We're excited to follow along on the rest of your cruise series. We were loving seeing how excited Aadam was for the Stormtrooper popcorn bucket! Best souvenir ever! And, omigosh, we were laughing & smiling watching you have a whole conversation about Brandon and potatoes! "Brandon loves ALL the potatoes." 🤣 #potatoesforlife Thanks for the shoutout, and we will be sure that Brandon gets those potatoes on a future cruise! PS - We're finally going to be sailing on the Disney Fantasy in a few months! Can't wait to continue to follow along on all that you share from this sailing & learn Disney Fantasy tips from you both! 😍
Yes if I could have gotten a larger size I would. That little kick of heat is what makes it great. Can’t wait to see where you go next. -A
This is very informative. Thank you very much. I'm planning a trip to magic kingdom soon with my sister, who has CP and is in a wheelchair. Much appreciated ❤
You are most welcome, sometimes finding the right information is a little hard on KZread. Especially info on wheelchair rides and such. You guys will have a blast. -A
Yummm!! Affogato. 🤤 I completely forgot to do that on my last cruise.
We totally forgot to do this. 😆 I passed by the ice cream machine at least a dozen times and did not make this drink. Hopefully I’ll remember on our next cruise.-A
As my wife is a paraplegic with Turner’s syndrome so she is short with short arms she can’t self transfer. I am very interested in the outcome of this issue. As a side note I would not have taken the Starbucks card. Because they could consider this compensation. However as someone who had a quadriplegic father Jazzy’s are not the best for comfort you will need to keep a closer eye on his skin. I do wish you the best of luck. And please send updates.
As of July 2, we are still waiting for them to ship my wheelchair back to Maryland where we live. Currently there is no update, I did not want to give update if there is no update if that makes sense. As to the meal voucher it was for any place there. They did have this offbrand snack place but Starbucks was the most recognizable one. We could’ve gone to any place.-A
I am mad for you that you have not gotten an update. At this point with the raido silence I would be contacting a lawyer.
When you book a cruise Disney World resort to Port Canaveral with a person that has a similar disability, how much of it is automatically set up by your reservation or do you have to go out of your way to set up all the logistics?
There are some steps you have to take to make sure Disney knows what you need, but if you book though a travel agent that is familiar with special needs travel - whether you use Brooke or someone else - they should be able to take care of all of that for you. And it shouldn't cost you anything more than if you did it all yourself.
@@Imaginary.Lemons great to know! Thank you so much!
I'm so sorry that happend. Did they get it fixed?
Not yet! We are still waiting for a resolution.
we had a wheelchair as well. I asked the concierge and was told that the sand is too loose for the wheelchair. there were plenty of rampps to get around the food areas but even the ecv people said they couldn;t drive because the sand was too loose and hadn;t set yet
I'm sorry that happened to you. It was a very frustrating cruise for most of the wheelchair users we spoke with.
#first
At every turning watching this unfold, we were like, "it can't get any worse." Can't believe the experience you had. We're so sorry you had to deal with this, and we really hope that JetBlue makes things right after all that travel chaos. You all had so many travel challenges for this trip. You need a do-over! Thank you for sharing this experience and helping others who might be navigating this too.
I agree we need a do-over. I keep looking at three nighters on the Wish - but I have NO Business booking another trip. We have one in September-to a certain bucket list locale you did last year. 😉🏔️
@@Imaginary.Lemons We feel you on not booking another trip (but we are ALWAYS tempted!). Omigoodness....we are SO excited for you all and cannot wait to see those videos!
Wow that's extremely frustrating! Seems like such an easy thing to do for them. This is just horrible.
They had so much that just wasn't ready. I so wish they just owned that. Hopefully in 6 months or so it will be a better experience for people who need accessibility.
Great video!! Love that you get right to discussing the cabin. Some vloggers spend too much time on silly stuff. This was refreshing!!
I'm so glad the video is helpful. We know people need the room info when they are trying to book, so we try to keep those as separate videos. It's so important to be able to see it for yourself and know if it will work for your particular needs.
Can't thank you enough for this video I have been looking for years for someone to just show the dang transfer process up close. My disability is very weird on what I am capable of doing and what I am not capable of doing. I do not live close to the parks but now that i know exactly what I could get on the trip seems worth it now, so thanks again keep up the good work!
Thats amazing! I'm so glad these transfer videos are helpful!
Rollin' with the punches... that is life as a disabled person, but it sure shouldn't be! Thanks for taking the time to share this, on top of all that you went through!
Thank you for your kind words and support! Which ever airline launches the seats that let you stay in your wheelchair first will become our new airline immediately.
Follow up Please
I've seen this happen before. You would think such a vital, necessary piece of equipment would be carefully handled with kid gloves. But...NOPE!!! I hope you get a resolution TODAY!!! SO SORRY you have to go through such an experience.
This is why my sister won't fly anymore. It really limits our options for travel with her. I hope you can resolve the issue. 😢
Options look tasty
They are!
Any updates?
It is very much an ongoing situation at this point.
OMG!!! Praying this works out and soon.
Please tell me is not the same trip that you all were on where Disney didn’t have transportation for you all to go to the new beach? 🙁
Oh, but I wish I could. At least all the ridiculousness happened on one trip so the next should be better, right?!?!
@@Imaginary.Lemons man! I’m so sorry about that. As the wife of a husband with disability issues I hope they fix that soon! So many things we have learned since my husband loss his leg and how people sometimes “overlook” or treat someone with mobility issues. Between this and the DAS changes I’ve been a bit disappointed in Disney lately.
Aadam summed it up when he said “it should not be this hard”. I’m at a loss as to why someone felt the need to dismantle the chair in the first place without your assistance. I got bumped off a flight once and got the “spend the whole voucher because they don’t give change” speech, ended up with sooooo much candy lol. I’m glad they were at least able to provide you with a temporary solution, even if it did take all day to organise. It truly is amazing how many people forget that the wheelchair is the extension of a person and should be treated as such.
My hypothesis is that they tried to lift it by the arms - which is dumb, but very likely for someone who wasn’t trained properly.
I am so very sorry. I do hope that JB does right! I will continue to watch and support y’all❤❤
So far they are handling this well. We don't have the chair back yet, but they company they are working with has shown commitment to making this right. Thank you for your support, it means a lot!
@@Imaginary.Lemons sooo glad to hear. Looking forward to this series of vlogs
What style sweet did you get and was it adequate for a Hoyer lift to go under the bed and get him in safely? I’m thinking of going on Disney cruise myself so just looking for information. Thanks.
We were in an Accessible Oceanview Stateroom on the Disney Fantasy - and we will have a room tour coming soon. Yes, it would accommodate a hoyer lift. If you would like help planning your trip, reach out to us at [email protected]. Our assistance is free to you, and helps support the channel.
Totally unacceptable that you had to experience this!! I'm so sorry.
Thank you for your empathy, it means a lot.
Wow Brooke, this has been a rough trip for you And Adam already. That is a hard thing to deal with. We had a similar experience when we were at Disney A couple months ago and one of the cast members tried to help us put our wheelchair back in the back of the car and when we got back to the hotel, the wheelchair wouldn’t work and we think they might’ve pulled a wire, and the wire head shorted out. It’s very frustrating because as you say, that’s our legs that’s our way of getting around. We ended up having To push the wheelchair, the whole rest of the trip as it’s both electric and manual. If this is the same trip where they don’t have any beach wheelchairs, I think Disney owes you a full refund and the airline owes you a full chair repair I hope you manage to have some fun on the rest of your trip
Yes, it was a really challenging trip overall - including the beach wheelchair drama. For the airline part, JetBlue is doing their best and working to make it right, so we really appreciate that part.
Ugh! So sorry you had to go through this. This is my biggest fear and why I no longer travel.
I understand your fear, but don't let it stop you from exploring. Have you looked at train trips? They can be a great option!
This is exactly why I don't fly, I mean, I can understand why they need to check everything. But, when it comes to having a wheelchair, all bets are off.
It can be frustrating dealing with extra security checks, especially when you have mobility challenges. On our way home, the wheelchair "alarmed" and they checked every single thing in our suitcase for residue. It was nuts!
@@Imaginary.Lemons I don't doubt that, my dad, sister and I went to an Embassy suites hotel, since my sister was taking me to a Convention in Orlando. The room was good, but they only had one bed and I had to sleep on the pull-out couch bed, it was not easy to transfer on and off of.
You would think Disney would have a dedicated ADA team to make sure everything was working and needed mobility items available.
You would… they really should. But I don’t believe DCL has anything like that. At WDW they have a special needs department for the hotels. I wish they all had them.
I would think so. They were planning this for years. It was a mess, hopefully they will get it done soon. -A
His chair looks fairly compact, how would a standard 4 wheel ECV fit into The Honey Pot or Clamshell? If the ECV will not fit, what is the accommodation? Asking for my mother who transfers ok, but walking is not an option.
They will allow manual and power wheelchairs on the rides featured in the video, but not ECVs. The only ride that accommodates an ECV is Jungle Cruise in Magic Kingdom. There are manual wheelchairs available at the ride and you can transfer into one of those to ride in the accessible vehicle. At Winnie the Pooh, ECVs are not allowed in the line, so you would have to transfer outside. You can use the ECV in the line for Nemo.
You made me smile! Thanks for your information.
Tron is one of the fastest rides that I love. Unfortunately, it’s like so short in terms of ride time I believe it’s like under 90 seconds. -A