A few weeks ago I wrote my column about my recent trip to Disneyland. In telling the story, I explained that I had gotten tired during my visit to the “Happiest Place on Earth” and how thoughtful it was for the staff at the First-Aid station to give me a quiet and comfortable place to nap.
Since that column ran, I have had several readers comment that they didn’t know it was possible to find a place to rest at Disneyland, and while thanking me, they commented on how much they appreciated the information.
Thinking the topic was closed, I was surprised to receive a call from one of our loyal fans (98-year-old Mildred) who left a message with our sales gal Kathy telling her that she needed my help, or as the caller put it, she needed my “pull” to help her rent a scooter at Disneyland. As Mildred told Kathy, when she called the Anaheim theme park to ask how to reserve a scooter, she was told that she could not reserve one, even though she offered to pre-pay. I believe Mildred said the cost would be $50 for the day. Knowing she couldn’t walk around the park for up to eight hours, and how much she was going to need the scooter, Mildred called the Signal Tribune to see if I could help her.
Hearing the story, I got on the phone and called disability resources at the park. Just as I suspected, the lady on the other end of the phone made it clear that there is no way to reserve a scooter, not even for a woman who is just two years short of 100 years of age— “that’s park policy.” Her only suggestion was to make sure Mildred got to the park early in the day and that if she did she would “probably” be able to rent a scooter, if there was one available. At that point I joined in on Mildred’s frustration and decided to take matters into my own hands and do something drastic. Yes, you guessed it, I turned to my Facebook friends. Here is what I posted:
I had a call from a reader. She is more than 90 years old. After reading my column about how nice Steve and I were treated at Disneyland, she hoped I had some “pull” at the happiest place on earth. It seems that she would like to go to Disneyland with her family, however she needs to rent a scooter for herself so she can join in on the fun. When she called Disneyland they told her that the scooters are first-come, first-served. She is afraid that she will get there to find that all the scooters are already rented. I just called disability services at the park and was told the same thing. Any ideas?
Shortly after posting the message I received five “likes” and eight comments. Although all of the comments were helpful, the one from my former Wilson High School classmate, Rickie, seemed perfect for the situation. Here was her response:
My friend Lou works for Scooter 4 U. Jerry is the owner. It is 65.00 per day. My friend or someone else that works there will deliver the scooter to Disneyland for her and pick it up after. The number is 562 697-7725 ask for Jerry. Give him a call. Would love to see this sweet lady get a tour of Disneyland. Scooter 4 U does deliveries to Disneyland almost every day.
Taking Rickie’s advice, I called Jerry and told him the whole story. He explained that his company does indeed rent and deliver scooters to Disneyland, however, he said that most of those deliveries are to hotels surrounding the park. Further into our conversation he did say that he would be happy to have one of his employees take the scooter directly to the park as long as Mildred would be there ready to receive it. His other request was for Mildred to have the scooter at the entrance of the park before his regular staff heads home for the evening. I didn’t ask for anymore details. I figured I’d give Mildred a call, fill her in on the situation and have her contact Jerry.
Immediately after talking with Jerry at Scooter 4 U, I telephoned Mildred to give her the news. She was surprised to hear that I found a possible solution to her dilemma. During our conversation, she informed me that she had pretty much given up on the idea of a trek through Disneyland, and that her family was going to the park the next morning, without her.
Although Mildred did not make it to Disneyland the summer of 2015, I certainly hope she will later in the year— maybe with the help of Scooter 4 U. She told me that although her body is 98 years old, her “head is still 45.” I believe her.
