Common issues on cruises, parks, air travel
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For Frank Jung in Missouri, it’s when people kick the back of his seat. For May Wong of California, it’s people who bare their feet during a flight. For others, like Regina Blye of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation who has a spinal cord injury and uses a wheelchair, the most annoying part of traveling could result in a serious injury affecting their health and well-being.
While visiting a new place (or returning to a familiar one) can be a wonderful experience, the process of getting there comes with difficulties that are only exacerbated by red tape, outdated equipment, unhelpful platforms or accessibility issues.
Readers reached out to voice their concerns over what grieved them most about traveling. For most, fellow passengers were a critical part of their experience. As one reader, Nathan Germelman, who uses a wheelchair, said, “I get the ugliest, rudest and most hateful stares like it’s my fault my connecting flight was late, and they boarded me last in the aisle wheelchair.”
There are many areas where the travel industry could improve, especially for those with disabilities and different needs. For the past month, the USA TODAY Travel team has been looking into how we can make the process better for everyone involved.
To make the process somewhat easier, we asked travel agents about common issues travelers encounter on their journeys. Here’s what they said.
A theme park ticket isn’t enough, reservations are required
Nina Byrd, owner of Kissimmee, Florida-based SmartVaycay, has helped hundreds of people plan vacations over the years. Having visited theme parks upwards of 40 times herself, she’s an expert on what she calls the three Rs: rides, resorts and restaurants.
A huge hiccup she’s seen among theme parkgoers is related to another R, reservations.
“The biggest thing that I run into is people freaking out on Facebook, ‘I just got here, and I can’t get in. What do I do?'” she said.
Various theme parks around the country began requiring reservations on top of admission tickets during the pandemic. Most parks have phased those out, but both Disneyland and Walt Disney World still require park reservations.
“A lot of people still do not know that,” Byrd said. “They buy their park tickets and they show up, and they’re turned away because the park is at capacity.”
Some guests may get lucky and be able to make last-minute reservations or reservations for another park, but the problem and potential disappointment are easily avoided. Disney guests can make park reservations as soon as they buy their tickets. Authorized Disney travel agents, who offer their services for free, can also make park or high-demand dining reservations for their clients.
“A lot of these restaurants book out now 60 days in advance,” Byrd said. “Especially the harder ones like Cinderella’s Royal Table, Be Our Guest and Ohana … I mean, you just cannot get in if you don’t…
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