Navigating WDW with a wheelchair

[DimpledDevil18]

We are planning our August trip and it is looking like we may have to rent a wheelchair for my Mom this time around. She just had knee surgery over the summer and although the surgery has helped her out a lot, she still complains of some pain, especially when she's doing a lot of walking. She's very stubborn though and wants to try to tough it out. I know there is no way she's going to be comfortable doing all the working no matter how many Motrins she takes.She's agreed to at least let us rent her a wheelchair if and when she starts to feel any pain. (I give her after the first day).

Renting a wheelchair is entirely new territory for us. We would like to know how it might affect our time in the parks. My Mom doesn't have to stay confined to a wheelchair obviously. She has no problem standing on lines and I know it can be a hassle to bring wheelchairs on some of the attractions anyway. Are there areas where you can park a wheelchair like a stroller? If anyone can share their experiences with wheelchairs in the park it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[KikoKea]

In 2014, we took our 85 and 90 yr old mothers to WDW and both used WCs. They could walk, but not far and certainly not for any length of time. WCs are available for rent at the parks and I was told there should be no problem getting one unless it is very busy. I chose to rent from an outside company so that we'd have them when out of the park, too. Price for this was not a whole lot more than in park, and we had them for resort hopping and going to DS one evening. (Google it- there's many scooter and WC rentals. We used Scooterbug) WC was waiting at the bell service desk and on the way out we left it there for the company to pick up. Easy. I ordered foam seats and backrest ($20?) from Amazon along with a WC backpack things- about $10. The backpacks held everything they needed and the foam cushions had them comfortable the whole time. We also brought a heavy plastic poncho for each so that we could cover our moms or the WC if it looked like rain.

As for using WCs at the parks- no problem! Many queues are WC accessible, such as 7DMT. If the unload area is different from the loading area on these, a CM will move your WC so it'll be waiting when you get off. If not accessible, like at HM, there is a side entrance for them, usually to the unload area. At Spaceship Earth, you enter the side and simply wait there for however long the queue is so that you are 'jumping' the line, but at HM we did not wait very long and just went right on. At these type of rides you leave your WC there since that's where you get and off the ride.

If she wants to wait in the line, park the WCs in the designated stroller parking area. There's usually a sign or roped off area and you'll find WCs there, too. We never had a problem with someone taking the WC or anything from the backpacks. If you rent a WC from the park, you might want to tie something to it- a bandanna would work- so it won't be mistaken by someone else.

My DH and grown son pushed the WCs. Now, our moms weight about 100 lbs soaking wet, so they were lightweight. I did push one of them the first night- I was very thankful to have my son along so I didn't have to. On level ground, it wasn't a problem. Going up hill, such as the monorail ramps, had me huffing and puffing. Thankfully, the parks are pretty level.

At restaurants, you can leave the WC outside in a parking area and go in. But, if knee is hurting and she prefers to stay in the WC, they can accommodate her at the table. Some stores are pretty tight for space, others have plenty of room- just depends. All shows have a WC area, usually at the back. There are chairs for family with spaces between them for WCs and scooters and plenty of room to maneuver. We found the CMs helpful and our moms had a wonderful time. Hope this helps!

 

[harryk]

You can order them directly (from where-ever you select) and they deliver them directly to bell services at the resort where you are staying. Registration provided us with a listing of vendors when we were there last December. Just contact the resort and they will provide you a listing. The cost is minimal.

 

[ninjaprincesst]

I would suggest getting a scooter and not a wheel chair. Wheelchairs are extremely hard on the person who has to push them and it can be exhausting for that person or persons. You don't realize how much up and down hill there is until your pushing a wheelchair, and don't ask my why , maybe its the adult weight, but it is 10 times harder than pushing a stroller. I would suggest renting a scooter from an outside vendor, that way she will have it for use both in and out of the parks and the cost is not much more than renting a wheelchair from Disney. All the rides and attractions have places to park chairs or scooters.

 

[Nastory4]

I would suggest getting a scooter and not a wheel chair. Wheelchairs are extremely hard on the person who has to push them and it can be exhausting for that person or persons. You don't realize how much up and down hill there is until your pushing a wheelchair, and don't ask my why , maybe its the adult weight, but it is 10 times harder than pushing a stroller. I would suggest renting a scooter from an outside vendor, that way she will have it for use both in and out of the parks and the cost is not much more than renting a wheelchair from Disney. All the rides and attractions have places to park chairs or scooters.

I agree, we rented a few times for my Mom when we brought her and the scooter was perfect. Battery lasts a long time and as everyone else said, they are waiting for you upon arrival.

 

[DimpledDevil18]

I would suggest getting a scooter and not a wheel chair. Wheelchairs are extremely hard on the person who has to push them and it can be exhausting for that person or persons. You don't realize how much up and down hill there is until your pushing a wheelchair, and don't ask my why , maybe its the adult weight, but it is 10 times harder than pushing a stroller. I would suggest renting a scooter from an outside vendor, that way she will have it for use both in and out of the parks and the cost is not much more than renting a wheelchair from Disney. All the rides and attractions have places to park chairs or scooters.

I would so prefer her renting a scooter because then no one has to worry about pushing her around, but she is stubborn! As of right now she's planning on only renting a wheelchair for the days she feels sore. We'll work on her and see if we can convince her to at least using a wheelchair every day. Thanks for the advice!

My parents also don't want to rent from an outside company because they don't want to be responsible for having to transport a wheelchair or scooter every day to the parks. Even though its more expensive, they would rather rent from inside the parks.

 

[wdwhoneymooner]

We've rented scooters a few times after my DW had surgery as well as the times she was still adjusting to medication relating to a heart issue. Always used an outside vendor and never had a problem with reliability or having them delivered/picked up. It's always better to have one even on days where the person may feel that they don't need it. Sometimes WC and scooters are all rented out at the parks (during peak/busy periods) so on the days your Mom may want one, she could be out of luck. The rental rates are lower vs. parks and even if she skips a day or two it really isn't too much of a cost to absorb to provide peace of mind.

And as a person who has a history of knee problems, I usually didn't last beyond the second day before I needed to use a cane to help get around. But after my surgeries, no problems.

 

[NelleBelle]

When we stayed at POFQ ~ 9yrs ago, my mom had just recently been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. She walked all over the place and over did it one day. I had read somewhere that the resorts often had wheelchairs you could "borrow" for the length of your stay, free of charge. We ended up just doing that for her, which really helped a lot because she had a hard time walking around the hotel grounds (some properties are HUGE). Don't know if you are staying on-property but it might be helpful for your mom if her knee is so painful that she needs it when you are at the hotel to "borrow" the wheelchair from the resort.

 

[Tuvalu]

When we stayed at POFQ ~ 9yrs ago, my mom had just recently been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. She walked all over the place and over did it one day. I had read somewhere that the resorts often had wheelchairs you could "borrow" for the length of your stay, free of charge. We ended up just doing that for her, which really helped a lot because she had a hard time walking around the hotel grounds (some properties are HUGE). Don't know if you are staying on-property but it might be helpful for your mom if her knee is so painful that she needs it when you are at the hotel to "borrow" the wheelchair from the resort.

Resorts no longer have wheelchairs.

 

[Lord_Vader]

When we stayed at POFQ ~ 9yrs ago, my mom had just recently been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. She walked all over the place and over did it one day. I had read somewhere that the resorts often had wheelchairs you could "borrow" for the length of your stay, free of charge. We ended up just doing that for her, which really helped a lot because she had a hard time walking around the hotel grounds (some properties are HUGE). Don't know if you are staying on-property but it might be helpful for your mom if her knee is so painful that she needs it when you are at the hotel to "borrow" the wheelchair from the resort.

Unfortunately Disney resorts no longer offer loaner wheelchairs any longer.

 

[NelleBelle]

Too bad It was a nice thing they provided. But we've also rented from outside companies and had them delivered right to the resort...very convenient!