November 2025
by Brian Martelon
Five years ago, if I had been given an opportunity to go on an adventure anywhere in the US, I think Disney World would be the absolute last place you would find me.
However, my wife Christina and I were blessed with two young children, ages 4 and 2, and they have completely turned our worlds upside down.
Experiencing the wonder and excitement of the world through their lens brings me insurmountable joy and traveling to Disney World was a dream come true for our princess-obsessed daughter and Mickey-obsessed son. We are so grateful Team Gleason made this trip possible!
In an effort to minimize the number of times we had to answer the question “how many more days until Disney?” We waited until a few days beforehand to tell the kids about the trip, and they were pumped! Christina gifted each kiddo their own carry-on suitcase filled with some activities to keep them entertained on the airplane.
It was not an easy feat getting through the airport as a family of 4, with 2 small ultra-hyper & excited children, a significant amount of luggage, medical equipment, a single able-bodied adult, and a stroller.
Our son, Vincent, may have tried sprinting past TSA agents before we even had our IDs checked, sounding an alarm or 2, but we eventually made it on the plane and were off to Orlando! Southwest Airlines treated us very well, and I was able to transfer on the plane seamlessly via an aisle chair.
The generous funding assistance Team Gleason provided allowed us to work some fun Disney extras into the itinerary that would have been difficult to do otherwise. These add up quick, but really did make our trip extra special.
We decided to work a few character meals into our personal budget. The first character meal we enjoyed was “Chef Mickey’s” at the Contemporary Resort, right next to Magic Kingdom. This came recommended to us by a friend as a great way to start the trip to get all sorts of pumped up for DISNEY.
I don’t think the kids needed any more convincing, maybe my wife and I did. We enjoyed a buffet dinner and got to meet all of the “Fab 5” characters: Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, & Donald. Gianna was giving hugs freely, but Vincent only had affection for his main man Mickey.
Our first full day in Orlando was spent at none other than Magic Kingdom. Orlando saw record low temperatures the week we were there. We traveled from South-Central Texas and are accustomed to the heat. Also, ALS + cold weather is a tough combo.
We are now the proud owners of a collection of authentic Disney World fleece blankets, lol!
We stayed on Disney property which made transportation simple and convenient.
I was able to roll right on to all the buses in my wheelchair and get locked/strapped in.
I am no longer able to transfer out of the wheelchair without significant time and effort involved, so having accessible transportation readily available eased much of the anxiety typically involved in our travels.
Our family favorite was “Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid” and we had a boat all to ourselves on “It’s a Small World.”
For dinner we splurged on a reservation at “Cinderella’s Royal Table” where you dine inside Cinderella’s castle, upstairs under the stained-glass windows.
Five different princesses visit your table throughout the meal, and although our daughter is princess-obsessed, she admitted to us that she likes fully costumed characters better because “sometimes she doesn’t want to talk to people.” It makes me laugh how very close that apple fell to the tree.
Our daughter, Gianna, started the day with a princess makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. The boutique is inside Cinderella’s castle- hair, makeup, princess dress, the works. The hair and makeup didn’t last long, but the princess dress is now a wardrobe staple. I joined her for this, and we had some great daddy–daughter time. It was adorable, heartwarming, and I swear I was helping her learn how to walk just a few months ago.
The day went by fast as we spent the rest of the day walking in the park, riding rides, and meeting characters. Our family has seen the movie Encanto only about 120 times, so meeting Mirabel was especially memorable.
We took full advantage of the rides that allowed me to roll right on in the chair. I was impressed by how many ride options there were for all of us to go on together.
The following day was a designated day of rest on our schedule. I was beat after traveling and Magic Kingdom and spent the entire day in bed. Christina and the kids initially envisioned themselves having a pool day, but again, record low temperatures.
On this day, in addition to our new Disney fleece blankets, the kiddos became proud owners of matching Mickey/Minnie hats & mittens.
Our resort had plenty going on to keep the family entertained. Christina took the kids to the onsite playground and took full advantage of the various games and activities the entertainment crew had set up poolside, including Mickey t-shirt tie-dying.
The night ended with lobby story time and a huge surprise for the kids. Christina’s parents also happened to be visiting Florida for a separate trip.
A few days before we left, she mentioned to her mom that they should consider joining us for a few days if they could.
Within a few hours, their trip was booked and they joined us for the last couple nights of our stay.
The kids were shocked and elated to see their grandparents and Christina was relieved to have some backup.
The second park we decided to visit was Epcot. Christina’s parents joined us and despite getting there fairly soon after opening, and staying until close, the day went by fast and we still couldn’t do it all.
We joked that half our day was spent in the bathroom. Adding my in-laws meant accommodating their needed breaks, our 2-year-old is still in diapers which require changing, the 4-yr-old has a bladder representative of her age. While I appreciate that companion restrooms seem to be in abundance, there’s only one per restroom stop. And those of us who require a companion typically do not move quick, so if you’re waiting in line for such bathroom, you’re likely to be waiting for a bit.
Epcot has a few rides that don’t require transferring, we started our day by riding both “The Seas with Nemo & Friends” and “Journey into Imagination with Figment.” Rides were enjoyed by all, and “Turtle Talk with Crush” was a highlight. We walked around the world the second half of the day where the kids met some of their favorite characters, and had their passports stamped.
We were slightly bummed when we learned that the “Frozen Ever After” ride required both transferring and a step, so Christina’s parents took the kids on that while she and I explored.
We did come across one more ride that I was able to roll onto located in the Mexico pavilion, “Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros” I am not sure if margaritas consumed played a role in this, but Christina and I found this ride hilarious and had the whole family join us for a second round when we met back up with them.
The night ended with dinner at La Hacienda de San Angel and a remarkable up close window view of the fireworks.
Christina and I especially loved this part of our trip as it was reminiscent of some of the world travels we’ve shared earlier in our marriage. We enjoyed beverages and walking the shops in each country.
The kids also both took great naps in their strollers during this, which provided some relief. Both were awake by the time we got to Anna and Elsa, 2 of their favorites; they were both a bit starstruck when it was their turn to interact with Queen Elsa herself.
The time with the characters wasn’t rushed. Eeyore visited our table twice, seemingly by accident, but our daughter was convinced that he just wanted additional time with her, and now she has a new favorite character.
This was the beginning of what turned out to be an excellent night. We revisited some of the accessible rides and my in-laws took the children on some additional ones.
Our final full day, with the grandparents’ help, we were able to get some extra rest. Weeks before our arrival, we learned that we would be visiting during “Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party” which occurs at Magic Kingdom after hours.
The park shuts down for regular guests at 6pm and transforms into a Christmas themed party, which lasts until midnight.
We arrived as soon as we were allowed in the park, just after 4pm and had dinner reservations at The Crystal Palace where we met Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, & Eeyore. This was one of our favorite meals of the whole trip! Food and service were great.
Christina and I broke away for some alone time and a couple drinks at the new pirate-themed bar, Beak and Barrel. The crowd was lighter than a regular park visit, so lines were minimal. Gianna even got to ride her very first roller coaster, “Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.” There were a lot of additional characters out for the event, so our children filled their autograph books. Gianna was especially excited to meet Rapunzel, the princess she opted to dress as the previous 3 days of the trip (and about 20 days since). The night was a great ending to our family vacation.
The flight back home to Texas was a bit easier than our original departing flight, as we had the tremendous help of Christina’s parents.
However, we opted to fly Frontier on the way back due to price and flight times, and we wish we would have stuck with Southwest.
We created priceless family memories during our 5-night stay at Disney World and are incredibly thankful to Team Gleason for making this trip possible!
My children’s smiles, squeals, and wide eyes make my heart enormously happy. I got to witness it all alongside Christina, my beautiful wife who somehow manages the chaos with love, grace, and humor.
The effort it took to get to Orlando, and around the parks was significant, but it was worth every bit of it. Thank you!
