Mike,
Did you get a special wrist band to wear so you can ride from the exit where
you do not have to stand in line for the long line, I use the special band
and get my ride a lot more quickly.
Jerry
From: gps-talkusers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:gps-talkusers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Michael May
Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2015 11:48 AM
To: gps-talkusers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [gps-talkusers] 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 user points
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 Screaming, 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
Michael May, CEO
Sendero Group, Davis California
Developers of accessible GPS
Sendero Phone: 888-757-6810, extension 101
Home Office: 530-757-6900
Email: MikeMay@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:MikeMay@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sendero web: http://www.senderogroup.com
General GPS web: http://www.AccessibleGPS.com
Mike May Personal: http://www.CrashingThrough.com