We really try our best to experience life together as a
family. Amusements parks are always fun,
but not the easiest for Raymond’s numerous medical and physical needs. We have tried Knott’s Berry Farm and of
course Disneyland. Last
year we got a great deal on an annual pass to Universal Studios. Not sure if it would be the best place to
take Raymond, we decided to try anyway. Last year as
we ventured into the park our first encounter was with the character Beetle
Juice. We tried to get in line for a
quick photo, but the crowd of people around Beetle Juice kept getting in front
of Raymond, making it impossible to move to the front of the line. We were about to give up as Beetle Juice saw
Raymond and came over to him. Not only
did he take a picture with Raymond, but he knelt down to talk to him. That kindness was appreciated more than we could fully express to him even though we were saying thank you over and
over. We had a great trip last year and greatly anticipated returning.
 |
| July 22, 2014 |
Last week we used our annual pass again for the last time. We have experienced many of the shows and learned
which rides Raymond can do, such as the Studio Tour which they can strap his wheelchair right onto the tram.
He loves the Studio Tour, especially the very interactive King Kong
Adventure which you would think it would scare him, but he LOVES IT! We just have to
hold on to him tightly as the tram rocks around. They have some amazing rides at Universal
Studios, but Raymond does not have the head or upper body control to be able to
ride all of them. But the park has a Child
Switch policy which makes it possible for our family to experience the full
park, and the staff is always so nice and accommodating, but we can't help but feel like we are leaving Raymond out of some experiences.
But this trip was off the charts!! They have a new ride, Despicable Me Minion
Mayhem in 3D. We did the Child Switch to
test it and we thought with two of us holding Raymond he might be able to ride
this one. So we got back in line, but
when we got to the top we were stopped and asked if he could hold on to the support
bar, their policy for who can ride. We
tried to explain how we could hold him, but ultimately he cannot hold on to
the bar. We respect their rules and were
getting ready to leave when the supervisor asked us to wait while she made a
phone call. Her name was Anna, she said…”
Anna, like Banana, hehe.” If any of you have seen Despicable Me, you would
totally get that. She quickly came back and said she would help Raymond to
experience the Minion Mayhem, just not the ride simulation. She escorted us all through the “minion
training” and she took Raymond and I over to the Control Room Area in a safe
location. He watched the show in
3D from his wheelchair as I watched how intensely the ride moved, something he
really could not have done. We are so
grateful for Anna allowing Raymond to safely participate and experience the ride in this
way. Then she informed us that she had set
up a behind the scene tour of our favorite ride Transformers so that Raymond
could safely experience some of that ride too!!! In the picture below is Anna and another staff member as we were waiting to
get on Minion Mayhem. On this trip we
were asking if they would do a “Thumbs Up” in the photos to support our friends
who are battling Cancer, David Marcus and Naythan Bryant
(thumbsupcancerdown.com). Thank you Anna!!
The park has a new water play area and we were able to role
Raymond under a few of the water features to keep him cool on the hot summer
day!
As we ventured on through the park, we then met Brenda in
the photo below, who wanted to give Raymond the opportunity to meet the characters
and get some photos. Thank you Brenda for your loving kindness!
We had a blast meeting so many fun characters. Spongebob said hi to Raymond, then ran over to
big brother Roman for a humongous bear hug, wish we had taken a photo of that!
Woody Woodpecker’s girlfriend Winnie kept kissing Raymond
with her beak. So Sweet!
The pictures below were taken on our behind the scene tour
of the Transformers ride (Our Favorite ride, but one that Raymond cannot do). Supervisor Julie was our incredible guide and
we had a real learning experience in the control room with John Williams experiencing
all of the cameras and security features!
We had so much fun with the crew in the maintenance bay and Ken gave
Raymond his Transformer Dog Tags! Thank you for making this trip so wonderful!!
One the way back from the lower lot to the upper lot of the
park, we met a friend on the handicapped accessible van who was also having a
blast at Universal Studios! Look at his cute smile!
We stopped in Universal City Walk for a bite to eat on the
way home and that was it for Raymond, he was wiped out and fell
asleep after a very full day!
Sorry, I couldn't resist posting all of these pictures of this amazing trip to Universal Studios!
