Shortly after my ostomy surgery I had the opportunity to go to Disneyland, and I passed it up. I didn’t see a point in going because I didn’t think there were things for me to do there since I wasn’t at all ready to be going on the big fancy crazy roller coasters. Looking back, I was holding myself back. There are PLENTY of rides and activities to enjoy at Disneyland whether you’re just a couple months out of surgery or an ostomy-veteran who loves the thriller coasters. I’d also like to mention that once you are healed from surgery and feeling pretty good, you can absolutely go on all those thriller coasters without issue.
My family took a short trip to Disneyland recently and I thought it would be a fun opportunity to think about how a new ostomate could enjoy the happiest place on earth without going on the crazy coasters. Here’s a collection of my favorite activities and rides that would be appropriate for a new ostomate, and a couple things to keep in mind.
My Favorite Shows at Disneyland with an Ostomy
Beauty and the Beast Show – This was SO CUTE! It was maybe 30 minutes long and was a hilarious, condensed version of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Parade – Parades are fun, but unless you get there early and know where the route is, you’ll find yourself standing and trying to look over everyone’s shoulders. Then again, you might welcome the excuse to sit down and save your bench after walking around the park all day.
Fantasmic – You can get tickets for the “reserve section” to watch the Fantasmic show earlier in the day by the Mark Twain ride – go all the way to the left of the ride if you’re facing the water and there are some little machines where you scan your ticket and it prints you out a ticket like the fast passes. Having the reserve section ticket gives you a better chance of actually being able to see what’s going on in this show. It’s done after dark, so make sure you’re not pushing your energy too far by sticking around without giving yourself a break.
Fireworks – Who doesn’t love fireworks? If you still have the energy to be in the park at the end of the day (or went back to your hotel to recharge for a bit before returning), the fireworks are quite the spectacle.
Frozen Show – This was at California Adventures, but if you have a park hopper pass, it’s worth the hours spent watching it. It’s a theater performance telling the story of Frozen and was cute, well done, and gave me some laughs. It was also a welcome break from all the walking and standing in line we’d been doing. PLUS, there was a bathroom nearby.
My Favorite Rides at Disneyland with an Ostomy
Astro Orbitor – You climb into a rocket and fly around. Not great if you’re uncomfortable with heights or get dizzy easily, but I think this would be totally appropriate for a new ostomate. It’s smooth sailing and doesn’t jerk you around. Just give it an eye and make sure you are comfortable climbing in and out of the rockets because I don’t recall them having doors.
Dumbo – Similar to to Astro Orbitor, you climb into Dumbo and fly around. No need to climb over anything to get into the Dumbo chairs, they have doors.
Tea Cups – In the tea cups you’re moving around, but you also have some control over how quickly you’re spinning. This is probably not great if you’re easily made dizzy but there’s no height concern here, you stay on the ground.
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters – This is a ride that’s interactive. You climb in to your little chair, put down the rail and grab your astro blaster gun. The ride drives you around you shoot at the targets on the walls around you. It’s fun and gets your heart rate up a little bit, especially if you’re competitive, but doesn’t have any drops or jerky movements to add extra pressure or surprise to your ostomy.
Winnie the Pooh – Just a little jaunty ride through a Winnie the Pooh story. It’s easy to get in and out of the ride, the lines didn’t seem to be too long, and it wasn’t jerky.
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride – Similar to Winnie the Pooh you ride through Mr. Toad’s adventure. Just be warned, Mr. Toad goes to hell and you go there with him for a short bit – it’s HOT in there. It felt great for me, because I went in the winter and had been so cold all day, but if you don’t like heat this might be one to skip. Ostomy-wise, I wouldn’t expect any issues with this ride or worry that the heat would impact your barrier in any way. Plus, though it’s been redone, it’s one of the few original rides from when Disneyland opened in 1955 which is pretty neat!
It’s a Small World – You can’t go to Disneyland without going on It’s A Small World…can you? You climb into your boat (pretty easily, if I recall), and float through some incredibly detailed displays of different cultures throughout the world. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Jungle Cruise – If you’ve got a dry sense of humor, this one is great. It’s another opportunity to sit down, relax, and enjoy the scenery, but in addition to the scenery you get to hear a bunch of jokes so bad you can’t help but laugh. Or does that make them good jokes? Either way, the jokes seemed to be for the adults on the ride and I would have enjoyed going on it multiple times to hear the different cruise guide’s material.
Toy Story Mania – This is in California Adventure, but it was so fun it’s worth a mention. Similar to Astro Blasters, you put on 3D glasses, walk on to the ride and shoot targets. It’s great if you’re competitive and have someone to sit next to because it tallies up your points. I found this ride/game to be easier to play than the Astro Blasters one because you could see your target and more easily tell if you hit it. I lost to my husband, but it was still SO FUN.
Soarin’ – This is also at California Adventure but it’s kind of the perfect ride for a new ostomate who enjoys a slightly more intense roller coaster because of they way they incorporate your other senses into it. You sit down on a bench and are lifted up off the ground and then immersed in a video that has you “soarin’” all over the world. I legitimately grabbed my husband and my chair a couple times because my mind was convinced we were dropping and zig zagging and all the fun things that happen with a more intense roller coaster ride, except we weren’t and it was just a play on my brain.
This is just a list of my favorite new-ostomate appropriate rides and activities that we did at Disneyland this trip, but it’s not a conclusive list of everything you can do. We didn’t get a chance to go on the Mark Twain boat, for instance, but I bet that it’s perfectly appropriate for someone who isn’t ready for the more intense rides.
Tips for Surviving Disneyland with an Ostomy
As you can see there are PLENTY of rides and activities to take part in with an ostomy, even if you’re not quite ready for the intense, big drop, upside-down roller coasters. My suggestion when trying to figure out which ones to go on as you’re still healing from an ostomy would be to for sure avoid any rides that have warnings advising expectant mothers not to ride.
There are a couple other rides, that don’t have the expectant mother warning but that might make you a little nervous as you’re healing from your ostomy like Pirates of the Caribbean. My suggestion would be to download the Disneyland App and click on the ride you’re thinking of – I’d probably skip most of the rides that list small drops, just to be safe.
Also, REMEMBER TO HYDRATE. I walked something like 8-10 miles a day while we were there recently and I definitely didn’t drink enough water. Disneyland lets your bring food and water in to the park, so take advantage of that. You can bring your refillable water bottle and use any of the drinking fountains to fill it back up. You can also ask for cups of water at many of the little restaurants and food stations.
Food is expensive there, so unless you’ve built it in to your budget or you’re dying for a churro and some dole whip, I suggest bringing your own in to the park. We brought nuts, granola bars and crackers to snack on between meals and they sure came in handy when I was starting to feel hangry or light headed. We splurged on a “Micky Mouse Sundae” but you would definitely survive if you decided to save your money and skip that.
If you’re still healing from surgery, you might not have the stamina to walk all over the park all day. Listen to your body and let yourself take a break and go back to your hotel for a nap and to recharge. It’s not worth it to over-do it. You can also look into renting a wheelchair for someone to push you around in or one of those powered chairs you can drive yourself.
Whew! That was A LOT of information, but I think it would have been really useful for me to have read when I had that opportunity shortly after surgery so I hope it’s useful for you if you find this as you contemplate a trip to Disneyland.
Have you been to any of the Disneyland theme parks? Any other ostomy-friendly tips? What was your favorite ride?