First Disney Experience with a Wheelchair - advise

[KikoKea]

We rented WCs for our moms 3 years ago and had them delivered to the resort. We picked them up and left them at bell services and the company came for them after we left- very easy. Here's a few things we learned:
- buy a cushion set (Amazon has them cheap) or 2" foam for the seat and back to make it more comfortable for the rider. I covered ours with a bright body pillow cover which made our WCs easy to pick out from the others.
-bring a sturdy, plastic poncho to toss over the WC and rider if it rains. Use it to cover the WC if you leave it outside for a ride or attraction and it looks like it may rain.
- consider a $10 WC bag from Amazon to slip over the handle bars. Ours held everything we wanted to take and still had room for purchases. It slipped off when folding the WC for the buses. (Rider can stay in WC if necessary, if they cannot stand or walk, but our moms preferred to get out.)
- ramps at the monorail are long and steep when pushing a WC! Our moms barely weighed 100lbs, so if your rider is heavier, be careful when pushing up or going down the ramps.
-the boat to the MK is very easy on and off.
-avoid large crowds to make moving about easier.
-avoid the Main St trolley tracks and be aware of the sidewalk edges. Both are easy to miss in a crowd.

Check the WDW website for what rides allow WCs and which ones require you transfer. This info is also posted outside the ride, but it is better to know ahead of time for planning. Most queues are WC accessible and the CM will move your WC to the exit area while you ride, but if they aren't there is an alternative. Spaceship Earth has a WC/handicap waiting area at the exit. You simply wait however long the main line is- 5, 10, or 20 mins before getting on there. We had no problems at all.

 

[Pleakley]

As others have noted, you really don't notice the inclines until you are pushing a wheelchair. At MK they are a little more obvious, however at Epcot I was somewhat blindsided. Especially those bridge I always seem to forget are there. It can be really exhausting! Expect to need additional breaks. I would encourage you to plan your routes around this wherever possible. It can also be not so fun for the person being pushed, the Splash Mountain area comes to mind, when it gets very steep. In some of the newer areas, it seems as though they have mildly revised this issue. I think other than the incline issue, Disney does quite a good job with accessibility.

 

[DisAl]

No. If you can transfer out of the wheelchair you have the option of folding it and boarding on a regular seat. If can not or prefer not to transfer the front of the first car has an area that can accommodate a wheelchair or scooter. Follow the signs at each station to get to the area that lets you roll right onto the train. At the Main Street station the ramp for wheelchairs is beside the Town Hall building and is not as steep as the pedestrian ramps.

 

[Minnie Mum]

Is it true that on the MK train, you actually leave the WC at the departure station and get a different WC at your arrival station?

No. How would that work for all the guests who have their own chairs or are renting from off site?

The disability guide ( paper copies at all the parks, also online) will direct you to an alternate entrance. The trains have a limited number of spaces for wheelchair guests who must remain in their chair. Or the guest can sit in a regular seat with the chair held, folded, in front of them.

 

[DimpledDevil18]

We are currently at Disney and have rented a wheelchair for my Mom for the first time since she has arthritis in her knee. On our first day here she tried to tough it out, but after a few hours at Animal Kingdom we could all tell that this wasn't going to work. So we paid for the extended pass ($10 a day) for the remainder of our stay. In the future we may rent from an outside company, but the only thing preventing us from doing so is the fact we would have to transport it in our vehicle which is a bit of a pain. We haven't had any issues getting a wheelchair and if you save your receipt, you'll have no problem getting another wheelchair if you park hop.

All the cast members we have encountered on the rides have been very accommodating. In my Mom's case she can transfer from the chair to the ride without any problem. She usually brings her chair into the line and transfers at the ride station. A cast member will either move your wheelchair out of the way or if the ride exits in a different location they will have the wheel chair waiting for you at the exit.