I couldn't find the original post about the whole "wheelchair people don't get out of the wheelchairs but stroller kids have to." But I wanted to comment on that. My mom finally caved and we had to rent a wheelchair for her on Friday afternoon when we headed to the MK. Her feet were in pain and swollen and she just couldn't walk anymore. I told her we may as well try to get them (on future trips) from the hotel where we have been able to borrow them for free when my grandmother was alive.
Anyway, she doesn't like the idea because of the bus thing. She doesn't wanna be one of "those people" that hold up the bus and would rather just wait to get the wheelchair at the parks. It's not like she rides anything so that part is irrelevant it's just so she can be comfortable and we can actually move faster lol.
In regards to the busses, there's no way to just fold up the chair like a stroller and get on the bus normally is there? I've wondered about that lol
First, yeah, the whole stroller thing - kids are not disabled, heck with kids being in strollers until they are practically teenagers now it's no wonder some people feel that entitlement. Kids can be carried - and if they kid is too big to be carried, unless they have some disability, perhaps the entire thought process needs to be rethought about needing a stroller. If a kid gets too tired to walk, maybe they are pushing them too hard into a long day they aren't ready for. But that's not something you can explain to the entitled parent brigade that doesn't understand that kids are work, not an accessory that the world owes them to accommodate and provide for.
I don't believe you can with the Disney wheelchairs, but you can with a "travel" wheelchair, and even most regular wheelchairs will do so somewhat for being put in a car trunk. The travel ones are a bit narrower and not as "deluxe" as most models, but they do fold in on themselves. The Disney ones are made to be banged around and stay hearty with all the abuse they get.
My niece is in a wheelchair and cannot walk a step, and we got sick of the looks and crap and bus drivers who don't know how to use the lifts, etc., with the busses and just use a car now, even when staying on property.
I know many people just hate driving on vacation, but WDW is rather easy to get around in a car. And in a lot of cases, especially if you are eligible to use handicap parking, it's a shorter distance to your car than it is to the herd lines, er, bus lines. And even without handicap parking, as long as you avoid that morning rush (either come a little earlier or a little later) you can usually get close to the front. Or get a handy AAA pass from your local office which is practically handicap parking.
Even when she's not with me, generally we just get around WDW in a car now. I know some people just think WDW transportation is this lovely thing but overall I just don't want to spend my vacation waiting in yet more lines. The last time I used WDW transportation on my trip I calculated how much time over the week I spent waiting for freaking buses, and it was unreal. Particularly since I park hop a lot - trying to get a bus to the AK from the TTC can be a joke during the day. I waited well over an hour for one just to show up - they only brought one when another family and I complained at one of the ticket windows. They do not run anywhere near every 20 minutes as they supposedly do.
I can get myself from one park to another in 20 minutes or less, usually. And I control everything - I can stop at the Hess and grab something to drink (or, Egads! step off property for a moment to grab a Pepsi product), my own A/C, my own tunes, no people coughing and spreading germs (I have gotten at least two colds a day or two after being coughed on by people on buses before).
Of course, that doesn't solve the original problem of getting to the parking lot from the MK, but that one is easy to solve - never ever leave the MK after the fireworks. Even on the slowest day, it's still a mad house. Hang out, shop, do more rides...you are on vacation, live it up. If you are tired, just sit on a bench somewhere and enjoy the night. If it's raining, find a covered area to hang out in. You are at Disney! It's gorgeous at night.
