[nabs-l] Disney Parks, Behind-the-Scenes Tours

Thu Apr 7 01:53:30 UTC 2011

Hello everyone,

    Disney offers a number of "Behind-the-Scenes" tours at their parks in 
Orlando Florida. "Behind the Seeds" in "The Land" Pavilion at the EPCOT 
Theme Park is one such tour. It's a "Walk-through" of the various 
greenhouses where produce and other plants are grown and innovative 
gardening methods are showcased. One normally sees this part of "The Land" 
Pavilion on a boat ride but for an extra $20.00 you can take the walking 
tour of this part of that pavilion. We're considering taking this tour as it 
may give us the opportunity to touch some of the plants and structures in 
these greenhouses and other places included on that tour. If this would 
afford us such an opportunity it would be more meaningful than paying 
$100.00 for descriptions only. I wonder if the GPS folks have considered 
creating maps one can load in to  their Braille notetaker or Trecker 
relieving users of these products having to pay that expense?

    I must say that I take issue with a $20.00 deposit for a Braille map 
when sighted people can pick them up for free and for keeps. With all of its 
millions at its disposal Disney should give its blind visitors Braille maps 
for no charge that they can add to their "Memories for a lifetime."

    The best solution for access to any place including amusement parks is a 
mouth and two ears. Others here have also said the same thing all be it 
indirectly. But back to my main question I'd like to hear if any of you who 
went to the Disney Parks took those behind-the-scenes tours and what was the 
experience like? I'll try to gather descriptions of the available 
Behind-the-Scenes Tours and share them with you all. All the best.

Peter Donahue

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Patrick Molloy" <ptrck.molloy at gmail.com>
To: <davidb521 at gmail.com>; "National Association of Blind Students mailing 
list" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 06, 2011 7:49 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] The Disney Parks In Orlando

David:
They're big Braille maps located within the guest services building
found in each park. They are in print and in Braille, so that a
sighted friend can help you if you need it. However, if you want
directions/descriptions, I would suggest giving the people at guest
services a $20 deposit and asking for the Braille guide book. You pick
up your deposit at the end of the day when the book is returned. Also,
if you leave a $100 deposit, you can get an audio description device.
I didn't use either audio description or the Braille books, so maybe
someone else who has can speak on them more clearly. A great source of
information will be the cast members (employees) themselves. When I
was down at Disney World a few weeks ago, everyone I asked was willing
to point my friends and I in the right direction. Sorry if I tend to
get a bit long-winded.
Hope this Helps,
Patrick

On 4/6/11, David <davidb521 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Are these Braille maps actually maps, or more like directions and
> descriptions?
> David
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
> Behalf
> Of David Dunphy
> Sent: Wednesday, April 06, 2011 5:52 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] The Disney Parks In Orlando
>
> My map reading skills are so so, but it's good to know they exist.
> I'll check out that site Patrick, thanks for the info.
> >From David
>
> On 4/6/11, Patrick Molloy <ptrck.molloy at gmail.com> wrote:
>> David,
>> It's interesting that you bring this up. I just got back from my
>> senior trip to Disney World a couple of weeks ago. Disney is extremely
>> good about helping not just blind people, but everyone. If you go to
>> guest services, there are Braille maps that you can look at. Also, if
>> you don't want to have a two-hour wait for rides (yes, some are in
>> fact two hours), I suggest you look into getting a GAC. The GAC or
>> guest assistance card is a pass that you get at guest services. It
>> jumps you ahead in any line and gets you in the front row of
>> rides/shows. One site to check out if you're a first-time Disney
>> visitor (aside from the Disney site itself), is:
>> www.allears.net
>>
>> This site was incredibly useful to me, because it gives incredibly
>> detailed descriptions of every ride. There is also a section on
>> disabilities which was definitely worth a read. If you have any other
>> questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
>> Hope this Helps,
>> Patrick
>>
>> On 4/6/11, David Dunphy <djdrocks4ever at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Hi All!
>>> It's not normal that I come to this list for help, but I'm hoping my
>>> question will generate some good discussion and maybe some helpful
>>> suggestions too.
>>> While at convention this year, I plan to take some time to go visit
>>> the various disney attractions like Epcott, magic Kingdom, etc. Gotta
>>> be a  kid when you can, right?
>>> Since I couldn't stay post conventino, I'm not able to take the tours
>>> Sheryl is offering sadly, but that's neither here nor there.
>>> What I'm wondering is this.
>>> Have any of you gone to the parks yourselves before or with amily?
>>> What was navigation like? This will be my first time going to an
>>> amusement park type place without tons of sighted people with me, so
>>> I'm looking for any tips in navigating such an environment without
>>> getting incredibly lost in such a huge place. Travel is not my
>>> strength, but that certainly doesn't mean I'm going to shy away from
>>> the challenges it presents.
>>> Looking forward to reading what people have to say.
>>> >From David
>>>
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