Mid June I got to take a much needed vacation to Orlando. During my trip, there was something very important I discovered and have been excited to share. :)
Most important: I went to Universal and was able to get an attraction assistance pass from guest services. This allowed me to skip the line on rides with a wait time less than 30 minutes. If the wait was longer, they’d give me a return time (no waiting in line)! Plus, I was able to bring my backpack with me and leave it in a special locker so I could get it again right away when I got off the ride. This allowed me to keep my rileylink nice and close to me all day(green circles, woohoo), eat as needed/as I pleased, and not have to worry about my back-up supplies (pod, insulin, extra sensor, meter, etc). This taught me an important lesson, it doesn’t hurt to ask! Truth is, there is quite a bit of extra burden living with diabetes and going to amusement parks. The assistance pass made things super duper easy for me and my experience was much more enjoyable. Also, my Dexcom and pod were fine and survived all the rides with no problems. Thank you Universal!
Another day I went to Aquata, a waterpark. I asked again if they had any assistance passes. Unfortunately, no special passes were offered here. :( But, they did give me a free meal pass which allowed me to get something hourly. Only problem was the lines to get food were two and a half hours long. No biggie here, it was super nice of them to provide it and free food isn’t really a perk I needed. I didn’t end up going on any of the water rides (lines were just too long) but did spend a lot of time in the lazy river with my waterproof rileylink case. No complaints.
In my 12 years living with T1D I never used any accommodations. I’m super glad I did!
I’ve had type 1 diabetes for 52 years and have taken over 35 trips to the parks in Orlando using NO ASSISTANCE PASS! Diabetes has never been a disability requiring me to skip a line or request special accommodations. Good planning and preparation are your best tools to have a good safe time on vacation.
HI Lee Ann,
There’s no judgement towards whether one does or does not avail themselves of ADA accommodations in any given setting. The most important thing is that we know that they are available, how to access them and feel empoewred to do so as individual needs present.
Another great option at theme parks is storing insulin in the fridge at their nurse stations. I left insulin and a spare pod and Dexcom sensor at both Disneyworld and Universal and it was super nice to not have to carry all that around with me. I kept low snacks and sunscreen and my poncho in my fanny pack and left everything else at the nurse station.
Great thinking David, would be a great tip to look into.